


Surfboards, Deadlines and School Runs

by TheNumberOneSecretary



Series: You'll Never Get What You Want Unless You Take It [2]
Category: Shelter (2007)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Domestic, Family, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2015-08-20
Packaged: 2018-04-16 06:46:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4615290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNumberOneSecretary/pseuds/TheNumberOneSecretary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to 'Getting By'.  Years after Jeanne's departure, Shaun and Zach are still trying to figure out how to juggle their life together.  But then, aren't we all?</p>
<p>This is going to be pretty fluffy, but with some definite angsty moments.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Big Decision

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this sequel. It's been posted elsewhere, but I'm continuing my migration over here slowly but surely.
> 
> Enjoy, and please do leave feedback; it's always appreciated.

April 2017

 

The restaurant is busy for a Thursday and half the neighbourhood seem to be laughing and chatting at the tables around them.  The mid-spring sun is just dipping below the horizon, and the gentle music playing through concealed speakers sets the mood perfectly.   For most people, anyway.

 

Shaun pushes moodily at the pasta on the plate; the one time he’s allowed himself carbs in the week and he just can’t muster up the enthusiasm to eat it.  Zach tries to ignore his moody face, eating away at his spaghetti and looking straight ahead, until finally he stops, swallows and puts his knife and fork down, leaning forward to put his elbows on the table.

“C’mon, what’s going on?”

 

Shaun does a flap with his hand, as if to say _it’s nothing important, I’ll get over it._   Zach sighs and reaches over the table to grab his hand.

“Tell me.  You’ve been weird all evening.”  Shaun shrugs and drops his head into his hand.

“I don’t know, I just feel kinda bummed out.”  Zach looks at him, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, I can see that.  You gonna tell me why?”

 

“I just…the house feels weird, you know?”

 

Zach understands.  Cody, now thirteen, has gone on holiday camp for the first time, and from the sounds of it, is having a great time.  His rushed weekly phone calls have been full of tales of how awesome everything is, and how there’s a really beautiful counsellor there, who Shaun teases him about until he sulks and threatens to hang up.

 

“Aw, are you missing Cody?” Shaun glares at him, Zach smiling fondly.  A silence falls as Zach looks at Shaun’s glum face, heart thrumming an irregular beat, wondering if now is _finally_ the right time.

“So, uh, I talked to Mark today.”

“Yeah?  He doing alright?”

“Yeah, they’re buying a big old house with some inheritance money Adam got from his grandma or something.”

 

Shaun rolls his eyes; his tolerance of Adam is low at the best of times, and it seems today he can’t bring himself to muster any enthusiasm.

“Of course they have.”

“ _Anyway_ , that wasn’t what I was going to say.  Mark said they’d talked about kids.”

Shaun looks at him, non-plussed.

“Yeah? Well, I guess everybody’s doing it now, huh?  Just got to that age.”

 

Zach _hmmm_ ’s in response.

“You ever think about it?”  Shaun looks at him strangely.

“What do you mean?”  Zach shrugs; _shouldn’t’a said anything.  Too late to take it back now_

“You know, kids.” Shaun raises that eyebrow again.

“Ah, Zach, I don’t know if you’d noticed or whatever, but we already have one.  He’s at camp.”

 

Zach shakes his head in exasperation.

“No, like…a baby.  A little kid.” Shaun goes quite still for a moment, hand still inside Zach’s.

“I…uh, what are you saying, Zach?”

 

Zach draws back, goes on the defensive a little.  Shaun sees it all over his face; that still-crippling feeling of _God, what an idiot._   Shaun sighs, reaches for the fingers threatening to slip away from his completely.

“Oh no you don’t, what are you getting at?”

 

Zach looks down and picks at an invisible piece of fluff on the tablecloth.

“I just thought, you know…” 

“Ah, no, I can’t read your mind, so you’re gonna have to just let me know what you’re thinking. And hey,” he says, before Zach can mumble an excuse, “if you’re allowed to know I’m thinking, surely I’m allowed into your head too, right?”

 

Zach nods slowly, eyes flicking downward.  Taking a sip of his beer he clears his throat.

“I…uh…d’you think we should, uh, adopt?”

 

Shaun stares at him, unsure if he’s heard right, praying he did.

“I’m sorry?”  More sure this time, Zach raises his voice.

“Would you want another kid?”

 

They look at each other, Shaun’s eyes searching Zach’s face for some kind of sign as to where this has come from.

 

“Would I?”

“Well, yeah?”

 

Shaun frowns, brow pulling together as he replays the conversation over again, his writer brain running through the possible meanings to each word.

 

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

 

Zach shrugs; hard to say really.  Had it been when he realised before too long Cody wouldn’t want to hang around with them anymore?  Or had it been when he saw Mark and found out they were looking for a surrogate?  He can’t put an exact time frame on it, but it feels like it’s been on his mind forever.  He dares a look straight into Shaun’s face, and can’t pick apart the different expressions there.  There’s the trying-to-be-cool-and-indifferent mask, offering a neutral, impartial ear to whatever he has to say, underlaid by the god-please-I-want-this-so-badly face and the I-don’t-want-to-get-my-hopes-up-but-this-is-the-missing-piece-of-our-family face.

 

“I don’t know.  A while, I guess.”

 

* * *

 

 

When Shaun first realised he was irreversibly, unchangeably gay, he’d suffered an irrational bout of guilt at not being able to produce grandchildren for his mother.  He couldn’t quite put his finger on the reason why, because Angela had never really been one for small children or getting messy or dirty.  Their relationship had improved once he stopped being a child, came out and grew up.  After the initial shock and _what will the neighbours think_ , Angela, in spite of all her other faults, had become a staunch gay rights supporter.  In his private thoughts Shaun still held firm the belief that she enjoyed the slight edge, the kudos, it gave her; _Hi, I’m Angela, and this is my son, Shaun.  He’s gay, you know.  And a writer._

In the distant, long ago years BZ (Before Zach), he’d had other boyfriends, some serious, some not.  Even when he and Stephen had lived together for three years, the subjects of marriage and kids had never really come up, as stupid as it may seem.  Shaun had once asked what he thought on it, and Stephen had looked at him blankly, opened his mouth to reply and got distracted by an email of his Blackberry.  End of discussion.

 

The arrival of Zach and Cody in his life had come at a time when he was questioning pretty much everything about his life; career (novelist or screenwriter?), relationships (too many idiots, not enough positivity) and what he wanted for the future (kids, house, car).  It really couldn’t have come any sooner, in his mind.  Now, hearing Zach offer the final missing piece to their otherwise great life is like the fourth of July, Christmas and every Birthday ever, rolled into one.

 

* * *

 

 

“Shaun?”  Shaun blinks; out of his reverie.  He smiles at Zach, trying to pick the right words and tread carefully.

“Yeah, sorry, miles away.  Is this what you want, Zach?”

“Well, yeah.  That’s why I said it.”

 

Shaun wonders if he’s completely aware of what he’s saying.

“I didn’t think you’d ever want to do this.”

 

Zach shrugs; _I didn’t either, but I guess that American Dream with the white picket fence and a couple of kids and a dog just got to me._

 

“I want it if you want it.” He says simply, and Shaun feels such a tidal surge of love and joy and adrenaline that he can barely contain himself.  If they weren’t in a restaurant he would be laughing and shouting and kissing Zach for all he was worth.

 

Instead, he simply grabs both of Zach’s hands, hard, and stares into his face, trying to communicate a bit of what he’s feeling.

“There is nothing I want more.”

 

* * *

 

**END**

 


	2. A Sleepless Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooth-rotting big brother Cody fluff...

**May 2019**

 

The cry pierces the air and Zach awakes with a groan.  Next to him Shaun stirs, coughs and rubs his eyes groggily.

“So help me God, we must have done something really bad in a past life to deserve this. No,” he says, placing one hand on Zach’s stomach when he starts to get up, “I’ll do it.”

 

The gauzy dreamcatcher charm on the door tinkles softly as he pushes it open.  A  movement and a soft breath startles him and he instinctively reaches for the light switch, heart skipping a beat when he spots Cody leaning over the crib.

“Cody, what the hell is going on?  Why are you out of bed?” Cody draws back guiltily, hand snatching back to his side.

“I…I was just…I heard her crying, that’s all.”

 

Shaun turns up the dimmer switch on the light just enough to make out Cody’s overtired wide eyes and tousled hair.  He looks at his son, wearing the pyjama trousers with the Marvel characters he’s obsessed with at the moment and smiles.  Annie gives another screech and they both wince.

“Are you gonna pick her up or not?” Cody pauses, hands outstretched out toward the teary baby.

“What if I hurt her?”  Shaun doesn’t know whether to smack him about the head or pull him into his arms.

“As long as you make sure her head is supported and you don’t pick her up by her leg or something she’ll be okay.”

 

He purposefully keeps his distance as he watches Cody’s lips purse in concentration while he picks the baby up, gathering the blanket crumpled around her and bringing it up to cover her shoulders and arms.  He flashes Shaun a look of vague panic as she splutters a little choking cough. 

“C’mon, it’s okay.  Put her against your shoulder.  Yeah, like that.  She’ll settle down.” Gently Shaun helps adjust her, and soon her cries die down as her downy head rests against Cody’s shoulder, her small hand opening and closing.

 

After a few seconds Cody gingerly begins walking across the room toward the window.  Looking through a gap in the curtains he watches the nearly deserted road, a young couple giggling as they walk back to their apartment a street down.  Shaun breathes what feels like a sigh, but is just a huff of relief.  He moves a pile of Annie’s clean clothes on to the floor and settles himself into the rocking chair, head falling back with a thud as he closes his eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

Cody hears Shaun’s breathing even out, and holds Annie a little closer, catching her waving fist with his closest hand and marvelling at the way she curls her fingers about his finger.

 

He sometimes feels a little…overwhelmed when he thinks about Annie.  He’d had the usual teenage snit about the bedroom (that had been a totally awesome games den) being turned into a nursery, but it hadn’t lasted long.  He’d even chosen a really awesome picture from a weirdly girly shop in town that had pictures of giraffes and elephants and stuff on.  Pop nearly fell over in surprise when he showed it to him, and said that it was a very mature thing to do.  Cody had acted like it was no big deal, but had lain in bed that night feeling pretty damn happy with himself.

 

He’d had no idea that she would be like she was, even when his parents sat him down to show him the pictures of her; she just looked like any other baby.  They explained that her mom had wanted to keep her, but had a dead-beat boyfriend who was mean to her.  She wouldn’t leave him, so child services had to take Annie from her.  Cody thought it was a pretty dumb move choosing a boyfriend over your kid, but then, wasn’t that what his own mom had done?  He said that to Dad and Pop, and they’d given each other one of those looks and asked if he wanted to talk about it.  He said thanks, but he didn’t.

 

They had to drive like a hundred miles to get her, and after a lot of arguments were persuaded to leave him at home like an adult.  He’d regretted it, when he spent an hour playing a video game badly because he couldn’t concentrate, then took a walk to the store and bought a magazine he didn’t even want, and toyed with the idea of riding his bike, before sitting down and sighing.

 

The day had passed so slowly he thought he might just keel over from boredom, but finally the car pulled up in the dusky evening, and he’d jumped to his feet, smoothing his hair down automatically and hanging back in the front room.

“Cody?” Dad had called softly, and he took a deep breath and walked out to the hallway.  Pop was carefully slipping off his shoes while keeping his eyes on the bundle in his arms.  Dad put down the bag he was holding and dropped his keys on the table.  His eyes looked a little bright and he had a tired smile on his face.

“C’mere, kid.” Pop said, and Cody walked over to him, eyes fixed on the blanket.  Pop lowered the back of the blanket and moved her around in his arms to face him.

 

Cody looked down at the dark eyes peering out at him and reached out a finger hesitantly to touch the cheek.

“She’s big.” He said, and Dad laughed.

“She’s six months old Code, she’s not a newborn.” 

 

Pop looked at the expression on Cody’s face and grinned at Zach, winking.

“Wanna hold her?” 

 

* * *

 

 

When Zach gets up for a glass of water later he finds Shaun gone.  Walking to the nursery, he frowns at the light still on and reaches for the dimmer, eyes automatically flicking to the crib. 

“Dad? Are you alright?” Zach nearly jumps out of his skin at the sound of Cody’s voice, and he raises both eyebrows in astonishment.

“Why aren’t you asleep?  You’ve got school in the morning.”  Cody grins sleepily.

“Didn’t want to wake her by putting her back down.  Pop’s there, in case you were wondering.”

 

Zach blinks as he looks over and sees that Shaun is, indeed, asleep in the chair, mouth open.  He snuffles in the way that Zach has always found endearing, and he can’t resist the chance to just stare at him for a moment.

“Can I put her down now?” Zach tears his eyes away and nods, smiling at the expression on Cody’s face as he leans over and gently lays the baby down, twitching her blanket over her.

“Bed, right now.” He says with no real sternness in his voice, and lays his hand tenderly on Cody’s shoulder as he walks past on his way out the room.

“Night Dad.” He says, and Zach murmurs a _goodnight_ and turns the light off.  Padding across the carpet silently, he reaches down and skims his fingers across the back of Shaun’s cheek.  Shaun stirs, inhaling deeply, and stretches as he opens his eyes.

“Hey.” He says, voice husky. 

“Hey yourself.  Coming back to bed?”  Shaun nods and gets to his feet with a groan.  Zach puts an arm about his waist and relishes the feel of Shaun’s sturdy, warm body pressed up against his.

“Remind me not to fall asleep in that thing again.  It’s freaking awful.”  _Hmm_ -ing in amusement, Zach tugs him toward the door, casting one last look over his shoulder at the baby, curled up amongst the pink blankets.

 

* * *

 

 

Cody flicks on the lamp at his bedside, rubbing his itchy eyes.  His mind is way too awake for sleep, and he picks up the stupid play they have to read for their American Lit class (which, by the way, he totally hates).  After about five lines of dialogue he sighs and folds the edge of the page down to keep his place, taking a sip of water before shuffling about in the bed to get comfortable. 

 

Cody would never admit it, but it almost feels like he can’t remember a time before Annie was in their lives.  He wonders what they’d do if anything happened to her, but swiftly puts that thought to rest in his head as it makes his throat sting.  Having her with them while they sit down to Sunday dinner, or when they go to the grocery store, or when they tidy Pop’s study when he crashes after not sleeping so he can meet his deadline makes their lives seem a little better, a little brighter.

 

Pop asked what his buddies at school had said, and Cody had shrugged.  Truth be told, he’s only mentioned it to Cameron, because the other guys already have little sisters or brothers, and they won’t care.  Cameron has two moms, and his parents adopted five years ago, so he knows what it’s like.  They’re pretty much best buddies (though you can’t say that – you’d get the crap ripped out of you), and they’ve got a lot in common.  Cody was the one Cameron told when he realised he was gay two years ago and didn’t want to tell the other guys, and Cameron was the one person that got an SMS when they bought Annie home.  They’d hung out after school a couple of days later and Cody had casually shown Cameron a picture of the baby, heart hammering as he tried to play the whole thing down.  Cameron had grinned and nodded.

“She’s cute.”

 

Cody had gruffly muttered something that was supposed to come out like _thanks_ and _I know_ , but ended up _yeah_.

 

He yawns and switches the lamp off again, covers yanked up around his ears, and buries his face into the warmth and security of his bed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“What time is it?”  Shaun asks as he slides back into the bed and curling on to his side to face Zach.

“Four fifteen.”  Zach reaches out for Shaun and wordlessly they slip into their position; Shaun turning on his back, arm raised so Zach can wriggle underneath to lay his head on his chest and enjoy the security of Shaun’s arm about his back and shoulders.

 

“Next time you can do it.”  Shaun mumbles sleepily and Zach grins into his skin as he fumbles with the alarm, setting the bell for two hours time. 

“Love you.”

“Mmm, you too.”  Shaun breathes, and soon the sound of his deep, snuffling breaths fill the room, lulling Zach to sleep.

* * *

 

**END**


	3. Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody lands himself in a whole heap of trouble at school...

**May 2019**

 

At lunch on Thursday Cody meets Cameron and Dominic

 

“Hey Andrews, how’s your sister?”

 

Cameron sees Cody stiffen, and their buddy Dominic sitting with them frowns questioningly.

“Leave ‘em Cody, they’re assholes.” Cameron says, loud enough to hear, but the boys stood towering over them smirk and laugh at the sight of Cody’s back, rigid with tension.  Slowly he puts down his cellphone, stands up and turns round.

 

Jean-Pierre is taller and built heavier than he is, but Cody’s no weakling; he can see in a second how he could use speed to his advantage when taking him down.

“Kinda weird isn’t it? Three guys in a house with one girl.”

 

The other idiots around him _oooh_ mockingly, nudging each other and grinning. 

_Keep calm, he isn’t worth it,_ he tells himself. _Pop would say that his parents just bought him up ignorant._

 

“You can take her to all your faggy meet-ups, right?”

 

Through the foggy sound in his head Cody hears Cameron start arguing with the cronies, and is vaguely aware of Cameron and Dominic squaring up to them.  He hasn’t moved his eyes from Jean-Pierre though, and the visions of stamping on his head that keep flitting through his mind.

 

“Your parents will probably really enjoy having their own little Barbie doll.  When they dress up like chicks at least she won’t feel alone.”

 

_Calm, calm, calm._

“I guess you can all take turns with her, right?  Then when you…”

 

Cody’s punch comes out of nowhere; a right hook that throws Jean-Pierre’s head to the side and causes him to lose his balance.  Dominic crows a laugh and pushes right back at the kid that pushes him hard, grabbing his shoulders and tumbling him to the ground.

 

Cody looks down at the guy sprawled on his ass, spitting some blood and a tooth on to the floor and trying to get back to his feet. 

“Can’t take it huh?  Fuckin’ fags, you’re all so touchy.”

 

The next blow lands satisfyingly on his cheekbone, which shifts beneath his hand.  On his knees above him Cody adjusts his balance so he has both hands free.  Jean-Pierre swears loudly and swings blindly at him, missing by a mile because his eye is tight closed above his cheek. 

 

“Get off me you psycho!” he curses, grunting as he uses all his weight to knock Cody off him and on to the floor.  Rolling himself to the side Cody recovers, hand squeezing tightly at the arm that appears in front of his neck.

They roll awkwardly, and Cody has his arm raised for another blow, spurred on by the other fights around him, when the sound of an adult shouting stays his hand.  Principal Ellison stands, backlit by the sun, face dark.

 

“All of you, my office, _now._ ”

 

* * *

 

 

Shaun grins as he finishes a chapter, pushing the chair back from the desk and stretching his arms out.  He can’t help but feel pretty damn smug about this book; it’s just writing itself.  Ideas pour from his head, channelling themselves through his hands as he watches in amazement.

 

He looks over to where Annie snoozes on the mat in her play area and smiles softly.  His cellphone buzzes and he picks it up, propping his feet up on the side table in the study.

“Hey.”

 

The expression on his face changes from happy to confused to concerned and angry as he listens to the voice on the other end of the phone.

 

“He _what_?  Yeah, okay, I’ll be there in ten.”

 

Scooping Annie up, grabbing her coat and slipping his sneakers on, he grabs the car keys and strides out of the house, closing the door firmly behind him.

 

* * *

 

 

Cody knows how much trouble he’s in.  He and the other guys involved sit in a line outside the Principal’s office, parents swooping in with murderous faces to stand and glare as they march them in.

 

Cameron’s parents arrive and Cody winces; Juliette has clearly been crying and Emma looks so mad he just can’t watch.  Cameron stands up, red-faced, and follows them in to the office without a word.

 

Jean-Pierre’s dad comes in, and Cody almost feels sorry for him.  He’s a small, skinny man, a harassed expression etched into the lines on his face.  He shakes his head at Jean-Pierre, who scowls and looks down at the floor.

 

The door opens again, and Shaun enters, Annie sleepy in his arms.  In a way, Cody’s disappointed, because he knows that if Dad had come in first and gotten mad then at least Pop could have diffused the situation.  But, after a second glance, Cody realises that actually calming a situation down is the last thing on Pop’s mind.

 

Shaun walks over, an expression of such disappointment on his face that Cody wants to curl up and die.  He stands in front of him and raises his eyebrows as if to say _what the hell_?  Cody wants to spill everything out; tell him about the sick shit Jean-Pierre said, how he tried so hard to stay calm, but the guy just kept pushing and prodding.  Somehow, though, the words fail in his throat, and he can’t do anything but feel awful.

 

When the Principal shows Cameron and his parents to the door, Juliette, Emma and Shaun all share the _he’s so dead_ look and just shake their heads in absolute disbelief.  Cody’s just getting to his feet and picking up his bag when Zach comes in, all agitation and worry, and Cody knows things are only just getting started.

 

The Principal ushers them in, and Cody walks into the airy room with the huge desk and chooses the seat furthest away from her piercing gaze.  She shakes Shaun and Zach’s hands and sits down, smoothing her hair behind her ears.

 

“I’m sorry we have to meet in such unfortunate circumstances,” she starts, and Cody stares down at his shoes, “but as you know Cody was involved in an incident this lunchtime where he used physical force against another student.”

 

Zach doesn’t even look at him, and Cody just wants him to say something instead of keeping up this awful, punishing silence.  Shaun senses the tension and clears his throat.

“Could we hear Cody’s version of events?  I’m not defending what he’s done, but I’m sure you can appreciate this is quite out of character for him.”  Principal Ellison lets her gaze fall on Cody, who forces himself to look at her face.

 

_You’ve done the crime, now you gotta face the music_.

 

“By all means, I was just going to suggest that.  What happened, Cody?”

 

Cody tries to move his mouth but no sound comes out, and it strikes him that she might not believe him; might believe the kid with the father who’s a lawyer, not the kid with two fathers.   One look at his beautiful snoozing sister only confirms that he was right to do what he did.  His silence stretches on for six or seven seconds, until Zach says sharply;

“We’re waiting.  Talk, Cody.”

 

“I, uh, I was sitting with Cameron and Dominic at lunch, and Jean-Pierre started saying all this stuff.”  Shaun looks at him, an eyebrow raised.

“Stuff? You’re going to have to be more specific.  What _stuff_?”

 

Cody doesn’t want to talk about it; doesn’t want to see the expression on his parents faces when they realise what the kid was implying.

“Just…junk about my family.”  He sees Zach’s jaw tighten and Shaun’s shoulders droop just a little.

“What exactly did he say, Cody?” the Principal says, and he thinks he detects a slight softening in her tone.

“He was talking about my sister, like, nasty stuff.”

 

This time Zach manages to turn his head to look at him, and Shaun’s face looks a little green as his eyes flick down to Annie.

“What about her?” Zach says, voice a little croaky, and Cody feels his face heating up. “He said that we would take her to f… _faggy meet-ups_ and we’d all dress up like women and that we’d,” he stops, bile rising in his stomach as he can’t bring himself to look at them in the eyes, “we’d all take turns, you know…”

 

The silence is heavy, and even the Principal looks disgusted.  Shaun’s hands are shaking with anger, and Zach’s eyes are glazed, his mouth twisted tightly.  The Principal collects herself after a few seconds and clears her throat.

“Right.  That is what Cameron West and Dominic Goldstein have also said, so in that respect I think we are clear on the provocation.  However,” she says, and Cody’s heart sinks, “on the matter of the violent action itself; our school code makes it very clear that we do not tolerate violence of any kind in our halls.  Because of this I am obliged to suspend you for two days, along with Mr West and Mr Goldstein.  Having said that,” she continues, holding a hand out to placate Shaun, who looks ready to argue with her, “we also abhor discrimination and inappropriate language, and please rest assured Jean-Pierre Kalides will be punished accordingly.”

 

They get to their feet and Zach shakes her hand, while Shaun nods politely to her.  As they turn to leave, Cody could swear he sees the faintest ghost of a ghost of a smile on her lips, but it disappears so quickly he wonders if he did see it.

 

They walk past Jean-Pierre and his father on the way out, Shaun casting a scathing glance at the boy who holds a cold pack to his eye.  The Principal sweeps to the door and eyes Jean-Pierre stonily, standing back to let them past.

 

* * *

 

 

The ride back in Shaun’s car is quiet, and Cody stares gloomily out of the window at the cars and buildings flying past.  Zach had told Shaun quietly that he was heading to the store on the way back, and he’d meet them at home.

 

Pulling up outside the house Cody reaches in to the front seat while Shaun retrieves his coat, unbuckling and lifting Annie up into his arms.  She squirms and yawns as he adjusts her to sit on his hip properly.

“You owe me one big time you little brat,” he says softly to her, and she gurgles in response.

 

Shaun takes her from him when they get in to the hall and flicks him another disappointed gaze and shakes his head.

 

“Get to your room; You’re grounded for two weeks.” Shaun says, a little sadly, and Cody is only too happy to obey.

 

* * *

 

 

He slams the door behind him and flops on his bed, kicking off his shoes angrily and turning his stereo on, pumping up the volume.

 

Zach pulls into the drive a few minutes later and Shaun sighs at the look on his face.  When he walks through the door Shaun picks up the baby and heads upstairs.

“Zach?”

“What?”

“Just…don’t be too hard on him, okay?”

 

Zach says nothing and climbs the stairs after him, striding down the hall to open the door at the end.  Cody looks over at him and sits up, flicking the stereo off.

“Dad, I…”

“Save it.  I’m not interested.”

 

There’s silence for a moment as Zach glares at him and Cody shrinks a little under his gaze.

 

“You go in to school tomorrow and you apologise to that kid for beating the crap out of him, okay?”

Cody looks Zach square in the eye.

“No.”

 

Zach pulls his head back, surprised.

“What do you mean, no?”

“Dad, I’m not apologising to him.  He needs to shut his damn mouth about my sister.”

Zach shakes his head in disbelief.

 

“You don’t get it, do you?  You might think it’s just a fight, but it isn’t!  Cody, people judge us on our behaviour, and what will people think when they see you fighting and giving some kid a black eye?  It won’t look good.”  Cody opens his mouth to protest but Zach’s wild eyes stop him.

“You listen to me; you have to try a little bit harder than everybody else, right?  You have to behave better and try to stay out of shit, and be the best person you can possibly be, okay?  Because the world isn’t gonna do you any favours.  Shaun and I can’t be there all the time.”

 

With that he stalks out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.  Cody blinks in horror at the closed door and clenches his fists, breathing deeply.  His Dad never says stuff like that, and since when did he start referring to Pop as _Shaun_? It feels like he’s turning his back on him.  It makes Cody want to go after him and say _please, Dad, don’t be mad, I’m sorry._

 

But he knows he can’t back down on this one.

 

* * *

 

Shaun lays the Annie in her crib and backs out quietly as Zach leaves Cody’s room.  They walk down to the front room and Zach throws himself into the armchair, leaving Shaun staring at him.

“What?” Zach says curtly after a moment.

“I’m just curious.”

“About what?”

“You.  Like, what’s got into you?”

“Don’t start, Shaun, I’m not in the mood.”  Shaun bristles and crosses his arms.

“That’s obvious.  What was with the talk up there?”

“What talk?”

“You, giving Cody the bitter ‘be-good-or-else’ spiel.”

 

Zach tightens his jaw and looks away.

“He did something stupid, he gets the punishment.”

“That sounds like your dad talking.”

 

Zach stares at him in disbelief.

“What?  I sound nothing like him.”

“When you were eleven you and Gabe broke a window with a baseball.  The old guy walked you round to your house and your dad pulled you inside and tanned your ass for breaking somebody else’s shit.  I came to pick Gabe up and you were crying while your dad hollered at you.  I remember, Zach, I was there.  He sounded like he really hated you, and I hate to break it to you, but that’s how you sounded up there.”

 

Zach blinks at him.  He’s all but forgotten that day, and feels intensely uncomfortable at the comparison between he and the man he gave up on.

“That’s bullshit, Shaun.  I love Cody.”

“I know you do!  Jesus, you’re so frustrating!  I know you care about him; that’s why I know there’s something going on in your head.  Why don’t you say what’s really bothering you?” 

 

“What do you mean?” Zach asks quietly and Pop laughs harshly.

“This; this anger.  You’re taking it out on Cody and it isn’t all his fault!”

“No?  Who was the one who got us dragged into school to see his Principal because he was fighting?”

“He’s a teenage boy, Zach.  You remember being one of those, right?”

 

* * *

 

Cody creeps down the stairs; ice water fills his stomach as he listens to the raised voices.

 

* * *

 

 

“Yeah, thanks Shaun, I do remember that.  I also remember not causing shit for my parents.”  Shaun groans, and Cody can almost picture his face.

“Yeah, because you were dealing with freaking Jeanne and her fall-out, and your mom getting sick.  Cody’s fifteen years old – he’s a good kid normally.  He does his homework, gets good grades.  You heard what that kid said; are you honestly telling me that if somebody had said that and you’d heard it that you wouldn’t have gone crazy at them?  I know I would!”

 

Silence falls again and Cody can almost hear the penny drop in Shaun’s head.

“That’s what this is about, isn’t it?  What that kid said?”

 

Zach’s face confirms everything, and Shaun rubs his face with his hands wearily.

“Just…talk to me, Zach.”

 

“I just don’t get it, you know?  I thought as we got older people would just leave us alone.  I mean, we’ve got two kids and a mortgage just like everyone else.  I pay taxes, I go to church at Christmas, I recycle.  So why are we _still_ getting the shit?  It makes me scared, Shaun.  Like, what if somebody tried to hurt our children because of us?  We had to try so hard to get Annie, and brought Cody up to be a good kid, and still it just keeps coming.”

 

Shaun grabs a hold of Zach’s hand and squeezes it tightly.

“You listen to me; Cody is a good kid, and you know it.  One fight does not mean a life of crime, for God’s sake.  He’s grounded for two weeks and that is punishment enough for a guy that age.  And as for him protecting himself?  After today I’m not too concerned right now.  This fight is _not_ a reflection of us and how we bring our children up.  The kid that started it is a foul-mouthed ignoramus who’s gonna find his life a whole lot more uncomfortable until he changes his views.  So please, stop being so hard on him because you think people will judge us.”

 

He steps closer to him and pulls Zach into his arms, resting his head against Zach’s temple.

“We’re doing fine, okay? We just gotta keep going and doing what we do. And hey,” he says, grinning, “we don’t have to do any dishes for the next two weeks.”

Zach gives a feeble half-laugh, but it’s enough for Shaun, who presses a kiss to his cheek.

“Glass of wine?” he says, and Zach nods, closing his eyes and letting his shoulders slump.

* * *

 

Cody walks down the stairs slowly, heart thumping painfully.  Opening the door to the living room he stands up straight and walks over to where Zach still stands.

“Dad?”  Zach opens his eyes and looks at him, and Cody knows he’s sorry for getting so mad.

“Yeah?”

“I…uh…I’m sorry.”  Zach contemplates him for a moment.

“What for?”

“For making you and Pop come down to the school and getting suspended.”

 

Zach is silent for a moment, still not taking his eyes from Cody.

“You’re not sorry about hitting that kid?”

“No.  And I’m not gonna be.  I’m sorry I made you mad though.”

Zach nods slowly.

“I’m gonna head back upstairs.”

“Right.”

 

* * *

 

“You okay now?” Shaun says from his spot with his head on Zach’s lap as they watch a movie. 

“Yeah, I guess.  I just worry sometimes.”

No shit.”

 

Zach tugs gently on Shaun’s hair.

“Ha freaking _ha_.  You know what I mean.  It just feels like we’re sometimes fighting idiots who still don’t think we should have all this together.”  Shaun thinks for a moment, reaching his fingers up to stroke the back of Zach’s hand gently.

“Zach, you gotta let go of that chip on your shoulder one day.  Yeah, there are assholes out there, but you know what?  I don’t care,” he says, craning his neck round to look Zach in the eye, “because I got you and our children and a home, just like you said.  So the rest of them can just…go fuck themselves.”

 

Zach snorts, grinning as he bends down to brush his lips gently against Shaun’s, curved up into a smile.  They stay like that, bent around each other, nudging each other gently with noses and lips, until a wail breaks the air. 

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

* * *

 

**END**


	4. College

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I made the decision that these (mostly stand alone) chapters would be posted in the order I wrote them, so this one is set a few years into the future.

**August 2023**

 

Zach pokes his head out of the door and looks down the garden to where a little figure is sitting forlornly on the swing seat, rocking back and forth gently. He shuts the door behind him and walks down toward it, mentally reminding himself to cut the grass that weekend.

Coughing to announce his presence Zach pokes his head around the bar of the seat, taking in the sight of his little girl, legs clad in striped leggings and feet wearing the purple trainers she’d got for her birthday. Her brown curling hair lies down the back of her neck, and her lower lip is stuck out.

“Hey, sweetie. What’s up?”

Annie shrugs her small shoulders and sets her mouth into a trembling line.  
“Nothing.”  
“Really? Wow, nothing sure looks heavy.”

Zach sits down carefully on the seat and nudges her gently.  
“You sad?” Annie shakes her head and sniffs once. Zach sighs.  
“Oh, I thought you might be sad because Cody’s leaving. I know I am.”

Annie looks at him out of the corner of her eye and Zach’s heart hurts as he watches the tears well up fresh in her eyes and the shuddering of her little shoulders as she tries hard not to cry in front of him.

“I think Pop’s kinda sad too, I think he’s gonna need a hug pretty soon.” After a pause he winds his arm around her and pulls her to him. Soon his shirt is damp and warm with tears, and Annie has her other hand wound into the fabric of his jacket. “C’mon, I gotta go inside and help Cody with his packing; wanna help out?”

She nods and wipes her eyes on his jacket.

* * *

 

  
Shaun wakes up with a jolt as Zach shakes him awake.  
“What? What’s going on?”  
“You gotta get up – it’s five am already.”

Shaun groans and sleepily shuffles his legs until they’re hanging over the edge of the bed.  
“Quit stalling and get up.” Zach orders, and Shaun scowls into the comforter.  
“Why don’t you get up then?”  
“I am up.” Shaun cranes his head to look at Zach properly and sighs when he realises that he is; shirt and jeans on, sweater over his arm and hair brushed.  
“Shit.”  
“Quit cursing and move your ass. I’ll see you downstairs.”

Cody is sitting at the table with an untouched bowl of cereal in front of him, eyes looking vacantly out the window, head leaning on hand.  
“Hey, you alright?” Shaun says, squeezing his shoulder gently as he walks past. Cody blinks and shrugs, mustering a weak smile.  
“Oh yeah, sure, I’m fine. I just…didn’t sleep so good, you know?”

Shaun nods as he reaches for two eggs from the fridge. As he cracks them and begins to separate the whites from the yolks he says conversationally;  
“You know, I felt weird when I went away to college. I mean,” he continues before Cody can deny it, “I’d spent so long bitching that I wanted to be away from your grandma and…grandpa, that I’d almost forgotten how much I loved my home and the beach. Sounds dumb, right? I was moving to a bigger city than this, and I thought I wanted the non-stop all-night life, when actually I felt like I was leaving a bit of me behind.”

He curses under his breath as he hears Cody sigh.  
“Not that I’m saying that’s how it is with you, kid. I mean, I’m a bit of a home bird. I moved straight back to California after I finished up in New York. You’re a hell of a lot more mature than I was when I was eighteen. Me and your Dad are proud of you, Cody. You’ve got a great head on your shoulders, a big old brain and you’re just the kind of person we hoped you’d be, so as long as you don’t go changing into an asshole things’re gonna be just fine.”

Cody nods, visibly brightening up a little as he pours milk onto the bowl of cheerios.  
“Annie made me put her on speed dial on my cell. Wouldn’t let me leave her room until I showed her I’d done it.”

Shaun laughs as he pours a little oil into the skillet and reaches for the spatula.  
“God, is she ever gonna miss you. She’s probably gonna be ringing you every day just to make sure you haven’t forgotten her.”  
“Well, you know, I’m sure I can pick up sometimes.” Cody says casually, and Shaun grins; only once has Cody ever missed a call when Annie has rung, and he felt so bad about it that he drove her out for ice cream as soon as he got home.

Zach walks in, shepherding a sleepy-looking little girl in front of him, dressed in a pink dress with sandals on.  
“Hey Annie,” Cody says, and she looks up at him blearily. “You look pretty today.”  
She beams, cheeks flushing, and hides her face in Zach’s leg.  
  


* * *

 

  
By the time they finally leave the house it’s pushing six thirty, and Shaun’s grousing that they’re going to hit the traffic on the interstate exactly when they don’t want to.  
“Shaun, it’s a Saturday, who’s gonna be out on the road now?”  
“Uh, people doing what we’re doing?”  
“Yeah, okay, but we’re not talking tens of thousands of ‘em, are we?”

Shaun falls silent, and Zach turns round to grin at them in the back seat.  
“So guys, you alright?” Annie nods, clutching her rabbit close, and Cody meets Zach’s eyes. Zach nods slightly; he knows what Cody’s thinking.

_You don’t have to be worried; we’re just at the end of a computer or cell. We’re not gonna forget about you._

* * *

  
They arrive at the campus at approximately one thirty, and Shaun groans, stretching out his shoulder muscles as he opens the trunk.  
“Oh man, I am just way too old to be doing that kind of drive.”  
Cody snickers and Shaun flicks his head. “Hey, don’t think just because you’re going to college it doesn’t mean I can’t keep doing what I usually do, okay?”

“Shaun, come on, he’s got to get to the student office. Here,” Zach hands him the sheaf of paperwork, “you take him down and I’ll stay here with Annie.”

Cody and Shaun share a couple of playful punches as they make their way to the office, but Shaun can almost see the anxiety growing inside his head.

They wait in a long line to get to one of the tables and be assigned a dorm.  
“You alright?” Shaun asks, and Cody shrugs.  
“Yeah.”  
“It’ll get better once we’ve gone.”  
Cody nods, but the knot in his stomach squeezes itself even tighter.

Once Cody has retrieved the information pack and key from a pretty blonde girl with a winning smile, they head back to the car where Zach stands with all the cases and Annie in one hand.  
“Ready?” he says, and Cody nods.  
“Ready.”

* * *

 

  
The room is old, but clean and in pretty good shape. Cody dumps his case on the floor next to one of the beds and looks around.  
“Hey, this is pretty neat.” Zach says, and Cody has to agree.  
“You want a hand putting some stuff away?” Shaun looks at Zach and raises his eyebrows.  
“Zach…”  
“Yeah, I know, I just wanted to know if he needed a hand, that’s all.”

Yes, please help me unpack, I’m not ready for you guys to go. What if I hate it here? What if my roommate’s a homophobic, republican, racist asshole? What if…

“No, it’s alright, you guys head out. I’ll be alright.”

As they make their way down to the car Annie starts sniffing again, and Cody picks her up, holding her close.  
“Oh no, come on brat. Don’t cry.” She shakes her head and Zach frowns at the expression on his face.  
“Codes, let me have her.” Cody hands her over a little reluctantly and she wraps her arms tightly around Zach’s neck.

Shaun puts an arm around Cody’s shoulder as they walk down the leafy path.  
“Now, we put $500 into your account; try not to spend it all in the first week, okay?”  
“Guys, you didn’t have to do that.”  
“Yeah we did,” Zach says over Annie’s shoulder. “We can’t just leave you out here with no money, can we?”  
“Oh, and…Jeanne sent this for you.”

Cody takes the envelope from Shaun’s hand and stares at it. About three years ago he’d stopped referring to her as ‘Mom’ and resorted to her first name instead. “Like an aunt,” he’d simply said, and Zach had said that he was old enough to make his own decisions about stuff now, and if he didn’t mind they didn’t mind.

He slides his finger under the flap, prising it open carefully. Inside is a generic good luck card which he pulls out and looks at. Zach and Shaun turn away to give him a little space, and fuss around getting Annie into the car and checking they’ve not forgotten anything.

Inside the card is a check for a hundred dollars, and Cody honestly debates giving it back or throwing it in the bin, but changes his mind and smiles tightly.  
“Alright?” Shaun asks, and Cody nods, showing them both the money. Zach manages a similarly awkward smile while Shaun barely restrains a roll of his eyes.  
“You should call her and say thanks.” Zach says automatically, even though they all know he won’t.  
“Sure.” He says, and Shaun winks at him, before pulling him into as manly a hug as he’s ever given.  
“Now, stay safe, you hear? Don’t drink too much, don’t do drugs, don’t break hearts.”

Zach snorts.  
“Really?”  
“Yeah, it’s good advice!”  
“Is that what Larry said to you before you went away?”  
“Sure. Best advice he ever gave me.”

Zach shakes his head fondly and nudges Shaun out the way as he stands in front of Cody.  
“Just call if you need us, promise?”  
“Sure Dad.”

Reaching in for a three pats kind of hug, Zach hesitates a moment, arms traitorously trying to stay wrapped around the kid he thought of as his own. A sob from Annie breaks the moment, and Cody pulls away to poke his head inside the car. He perches on the edge of the seat and holds one of her hands in his.  
“You better be good while I’m gone, alright?” She nods, eyes filling up with fresh tears. “You call me if you ever get any trouble, and I’ll come right back home and kick their…uh, tell them to leave you alone.”

He puts his arms around her one last time and exhales quickly, pulling back and stroking the skin on her cheek.  
“We’d better hit the road.” Shaun says gently, and Cody appreciates his not drawing this out any longer.  
“We’ll message you when we get back.” Zach says, walking round to the passenger seat of the car and pulling it open.

* * *

 

With a last wave from the rolled down window they pull away from the bay, leaving Cody stood with one hand in his shorts pocket and one raised, waving even after they’d rounded the corner.

His heart thuds sickeningly in his chest as he makes his way past people still pulling bags and cases into different buildings, a crying girl clinging to her dad as he wiped away tears saying goodbye to her.

Checking his cell he grins as he sees a message from Cameron

_Hey, just literally arrived in Florida; flight got delayed. Emma went mad because my baggage went way over and cost her another $200! But then Juliette started crying so she felt bad and gave me some more money to take with me. Crazy! Anyways, hope you get settled alright. Don’t go forgetting me Andrews. Speak to you soon bud. D_

Still smiling when he reaches the dorm, Cody makes his way down the corridor, catching the eye of some of the guys in their rooms; a few give a tentative smile, a couple look plain nervous, and only one giving him a dirty look.

The door to the room is open, and music drifts out, obviously played from a computer. On the bed sits a guy; medium height, ginger hair, freckles all over his face, a green beanie pulled down over his forehead. He looks up when Cody comes in and grins.  
“Hey, you’re Cody Andrews, right?”  
“Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t read my pack yet. Who’re you?”  
“Oh, right, yeah. I’m Sonny Michaels. You want a beer?”

Grinning, Cody nods.  
“My step-dad bought them for me as a going away present, told me not to tell my Mom. Your parents head off already?”  
“Yeah, they had like a seven hour drive, and my sister’s only five, so they couldn’t hang around too long.”  
“Urgh, sisters, don’t even. I got four. All older. I think I was the last attempt, you know?”

Reaching over, Sonny pulls a couple of bottles out of a holdall and flicking the caps off with an opener on his belt, before handing one over.  
“What’re you majoring in Cody?” he says, taking a deep swallow of his beer.   
“Mechanical engineering. You?”  
“Oh, uh, theater arts.”  
“Sounds way more fun than mine.”

Sonny shrugs, looking a little crestfallen.  “Sounds _dumber_ than yours. Ah man, why couldn’t you have been doing farming or something?”  
“Sorry.”  
“Nah, not your problem. My dad thinks it’s a pussy subject to do.”  
“That’s bullshit. Sorry, but it is.”  
“No, it’s alright, he’s an asshole. My step-dad’s great about it. He’s a musician though, so I guess he can’t say anything.”  
“Sweet. My dad’s an artist, and my…uh, my pop’s a writer.”

Cody waits for a moment to see if the awkward silence he anticipates descends, but it doesn’t.  Sonny downs a quarter of his beer.  
“So how did you end up doing something way academic then?”

Cody thinks about it a second. “Not sure really. Just no good at drawing or writing books I guess.”  
“My dad’s a lawyer, so he wanted me to do what he did, I think. I told him that the closest I was ever going to get was playing one on a cop show.”

They both laugh at that, and Sonny reaches over to grab his wallet.  
“I’m gonna head down to get pizza when I’ve finished this, you wanna come?”  
“Yeah, sure.”

With the beers finished they grab wallets and keys and start to head out. Cody pauses, allowing himself a last wistful look at the cards from his family lying on the drawers by his bed, before shutting the door, locking it behind him.  
“Hey, Cody, you coming?”  
He turns to look at the grinning, friendly face of his new roommate and nods.  
“Sure, I’m starving.”

* * *

  
By the time they’ve sat down at a table with their pizza Cody feels as though he’s known Sonny for a lifetime. Unable to stop talking, Sonny has told him about his parents’ divorce, his oldest sister’s twins, his step-dad’s band and the fact that he was super glad to have left Phoenix. Cody is lucky to get a word in edgeways, but is happy to sit and be entertained. He spends most of the evening laughing his ass off, and after they’ve had a few more beers back at the dorm later he tells Sonny as seriously as he is able that he’s a great guy, and how glad he is that they’re sharing a dorm.

* * *

 

It’s around two am when they finally give up the ghost and begin getting ready for bed. Sonny stumbles to the bathroom, quickly and efficiently throws up, and brushes his teeth, before emerging in Spider man pyjama bottoms and an over-large t-shirt.

Cody shucks his jeans and shuts the bathroom door behind him, filling a glass from the tap and drinking it down deeply. Swilling his mouth around with some mouthwash he looks at his reflection in the mirror and grins before spitting the blue liquid down the plug and rinsing it away.

Crawling under the covers in the new bed and pulling them up around his ears, Cody groans at the sound of Sonny’s snoring emerging from the darkness on the other side of the room.

As the events of the day drag his eyelids down, he can’t help but feel that actually, he’s done pretty well out of this college thing so far.


	5. The Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nasty accident leads to accusations and tension all round.

December 2019

 

**1.30pm:**

 

It happens in a second.  A quick duck into the kitchen to take dirty crockery out to the sink, followed by a crash and a shocked wail.  Shaun skids back in to the front room and takes stock quickly of what’s happened.  Annie is lying face down on the floor screaming, the fruit bowl lying in three pieces on the floor near her.  The tablecloth gives out a soft _shhh_ as it slides all the way off, landing in a rumpled pile. 

 

Shaun snaps into action, heart thumping giddily as he reaches down to move the shattered bowl away from the little girl’s hand.  She reaches for him, still yelling, as he scoops her up under the arms and lifts her clear of the debris.  Blood pours from a gash in her head, and he breathes in a little gasp at the swelling already forming around the wound.

 

For just a moment blind panic consumes him, and he can’t for the life of him remember whether he’s supposed to call 911 or stop the bleeding first.  He transfers Annie over to one arm while he fumbles his cell from his pocket.

 

* * *

 

**1.50pm:**

 

Zach’s in the middle of laughing at a joke Sondra’s telling during lunch, snorting through a mouthful of his wrap when his cell goes.  Still grinning at her, he swipes the screen without looking at the display.

 

“Hello? Hey, what’s up?”

 

He sits up straight, smile disappearing instantly from his face.

“I’ll be there in fifteen.”

 

The room falls silent as he gets to his feet, fumbling his stuff into his satchel.

“Are you okay?” Rob asks, and Zach thinks he stammers out something about Annie and an accident, but he couldn’t be sure.

“Sweetie, it’s okay, just go.” Sondra says, touching his elbow as he starts making excuses.

 

* * *

 

 

**2.15 pm:**

 

Shaun sits down heavily in the waiting area, the sound of Annie’s cries running round and round his head until he feels like throwing up.  He looks down at the sleeve of his shirt, stained a deep red.  He knows somebody has to tell Cody before he gets home and freaks out at the mess and the blood, but he just needs a little more _time_ to get his head levelled out a little, and stop his damn hands from shaking.

 

He doesn’t even have to look up to know that the jogging footsteps approaching him are Zach’s, and he searches for a momentary distraction by trying to visualise what he was wearing when he left the house this morning.

 

_Black sneakers, blue jeans, cream tee, black jacket._

 

If he could have saved anybody this stress, it would be prone-to-anxiety Zach, with his big heart, so easily frightened by anything that threatens his family.  Shaun lifts his head when it sounds like the footsteps are almost on top of him, and Zach’s face, as expected, registers panic.

 

“What the hell happened?”  Shaun straightens up with a sighed exhale,

“I was just taking a plate into the kitchen and she must have pulled on the tablecloth and bought the whole thing down on her head.”

 

“Fuck, Shaun, why were you not paying attention?” 

 

Shaun clenches his jaw, the jittery-fluttery feeling in his chest returning as he recoils under Zach’s accusatory glare.

“This isn’t my fault, Zach!  Jesus, it was an accident!”

 

Zach sits down heavily next to him.  Zach knows, of course he does.  He closes his eyes and exhales through his nose, nodding.

 

“Sorry, I know, I know.  Are you alright?” Shaun shrugs.

“Yeah.  I just keep thinking what if I’d only taken her with me, or been quicker.”

 

“She’s a kid, right?  These things happen.  I remember Cody falling down the stairs and chipping his tooth when he was eighteen months.  Jeanne went crazy at me; said I shoulda been watching him.”

“Where was she?”

“In town with some guy I think.  Mom had just finished chemo so she was asleep, and I was trying to fix dinner.”

Shaun grimaces in disbelief.

“What a bitch.  Sorry.”

 

Zach shrugs; they both know it’s true.  A nurse stops in front of them, a hesitant smile on her young face.

“Ah, are you Annie’s father?” she asks Shaun, and in spite of himself Zach bristles a little, even though the girl is only doing her job.

“I, yes.  We both are.” He says, sneaking a sidelong glance at Zach, who reaches over for his hand and squeezes it tight

“She’s calmed down a little now, you can come in and see her.”

 

It’s on the very tip of Zach’s tongue to ask why Shaun wasn’t in there before, but he’s well aware it won’t help anything.  The nurse leads them down a brightly-lit corridor to a small cubicle where two female nurses coo over Annie.

 

* * *

 

Without so much as a word Zach takes her from them and pulls her tight against him, hating the clinical smell of the disinfectant that masks her soft baby smell.  Her eyes are still red, and she hiccups, her tiny ribcage jolting as she regains her breath.

 

Shaun stares at the ugly, purple mark with the stitches that marks her otherwise perfect skin and feels sick all over again.  He reaches out a hand and runs it over her cheek, shuddering when he lets himself imagine how it could have been worse.

 

The nurse that showed them to the room nods at the other two sharply, and they all leave without a word as an obviously more senior nurse enters without a word.  After a moment Zach looks up at her.

“Is she alright? Can we take her home?”

 

She hesitates, her eyes flickering toward Shaun for a moment, and in that moment Shaun fucking _knows_ something’s going on.

“I’m sorry,” he says, so calmly that Zach looks at him as if he’s just announced his intention to rob a bank, “Is there a problem?”

 

The nurse meets his gaze face on, clearly mentally assessing him.

“I’ll just get a doctor in to speak to you.” She says coolly, before sweeping from the room.  Zach looks over at Shaun, confusion plain on his face.

“What was that?”  Shaun shakes his head curtly, because he doesn’t know for definite, but he’s got such a bad feeling about all of this.

 

* * *

 

They fall silent, just the sound of Annie’s snuffles and Zach’s gentle murmurs to her providing a quiet underscore.  When he hears the sound of suit shoes getting closer Shaun looks up, jaw tense.  A brown-haired man, probably no more than twenty five, steps in to the room.

 

_Great, a twelve year old come to tell us how to take care of our child._

“Ah, hi.  I’m Doctor Khan.  I take it you’re Annie’s parents, right?” 

“Yeah.” Zach says softly.

The doctor nods, ticking something on the sheet on his clipboard.

“So, that’s a nasty bump she took earlier.”

 

* * *

 

Shaun feels heckles start to rise. _Yeah, thanks asshole, we had actually noticed that._ He looks over at Zach, who still appears nonplussed.

“We know.” Shaun says, eyebrow raised as he surveys Doctor Khan, who nods, seemingly a little lost for words.

“As you can probably see we’ve managed to keep it to a minimum of stitches.  They’re going to need to come out in a couple of weeks.”  Zach breathes a sigh of relief, but Shaun can’t take his eyes off the clipboard the man fidgets with.

“Is that all?” he asks, and he knows how loaded that question sounds.  Doctor Khan nods and turns to leave, hand reaching out for the curtain, but stops and turns back slowly.  Stepping closer to them he lowers his voice.

“I just think you should know,” he murmurs, casting a quick glance over his shoulder to check none of the supervisors are near, “as a purely routine thing they’re going to be making a call to Child Protective Services.  I thought you deserved to know.”

 

Something in Zach’s heart flops over.

“What do you mean?  Why would they do that?”

 

Doctor Khan looks a little nervous now, as if he’s aware that he shouldn’t have said anything.

“Like I said, it’s a routine thing, it’s just because she’s a recent addition and it was a head injury, that’s all.”

 

Before Shaun can even think about voicing what’s going through his mind, the doctor has gone, the _click_ of his heels receding.  Zach looks at Shaun with wide eyes, and it’s like he’s twenty one again and trying desperately to find a way to keep his new lover and his family together.

“Shaun…”

“Zach, please.  Don’t.”

 

* * *

 

 

**3.20 pm:**

 

Cody hums along to the tune blaring from his headphones as he puts his key in the lock and gives it the kick it needs to open.

“Hey,” he calls, but there’s no answering call, no sounds of Annie playing, no radio going; nothing.  There’s a coat on the floor, and it looks like somebody’s taken a pair of shoes so roughly from the rack that they’ve knocked the others off too.  Cody frowns and takes his headphones off, pulling the cable from his phone and starting to wind them up.

“Pop?” he calls, a little unnerved by the silence. “Dad?”

 

The door to the front room is slightly ajar and he nudges it open with his hip while still putting his phone away.  He steps round the couch and stops dead, pulse thudding so loudly he feels like he could pass out from the sound.  There’s the fruit bowl Grandma gave Pop one year for his birthday, the one he wanted to put in the attic, broken into pieces on the floor.  He flicks his eyes about for any other signs that they’ve been robbed.  But no; television, speakers, even Dad’s iPod are still in there.  He steps a little closer, tiny fragments of broken pottery crunching beneath his converse.  Splashed across the white and floral pattern is a dried sheen of blood, and Cody’s eyes widen.  Shakily he pulls his phone from his pocket and thumbs through the contacts until he reaches one he knows.

He stands, transfixed by the small splashes of blood as he waits for the call to go through.

 

* * *

 

 

**3.23 pm:**

 

Zach sits in the back with the car seat, watching as Annie sleeps, her eyes closed.

 

The doctor that discharged her had taken them aside and told them in as light a tone as possible that somebody would be round “ _just to check she’s okay”_ in a couple of days. 

“ _Bullshit_!” Shaun had snarled under his breath as they left the hospital, “like we’re some idiot scumbags that go around dropping goddamn fruit bowls on her head.  I swear to God, I’m going to…”

“To what, Shaun?  What’re you gonna do that’s gonna be so effective, huh?” Zach had snapped, eyes flicking down to make sure Annie was drifting off.  “If you go back in there and start demanding answers they’re just gonna think you’re some guy with a bad temper, and that yeah, maybe you did do something to her ‘cos she pissed you off.”

 

 

The ride so far has been silent, and Shaun’s trying to concentrate on the road rather than listen to the awful, nagging guilty feeling that’s sitting just at the top of his stomach.  When his cell goes he presses the hands-free pick up button without thinking.

“Yeah?”

“Pop?”

 

Shaun meets Zach’s eyes in the rear view in horror; in all the panic they’d completely forgotten to tell Cody what had happened.

“Jesus, Cody, are you home yet?  Look, don’t go in the front room…”

“I already did.  Pop, there’s a bowl and blood on the floor.  What’s going on?” he says, and Shaun hates himself for not even thinking to send at least an SMS.

“It’s alright, I promise.  Annie just had a bit of an accident so we’ve had her at the hospital.”

 

* * *

 

Before he’s even finished the sentence Cody is speaking, voice panicked, words tumbling over each other to get out.

“What accident?  How did she get the bowl?  Is she alright?  I…”

“Cody, it’s alright.  They patched her up just fine, okay?” Zach says from the back seat, and woken by the voices Annie lets out a whimper.

“When are you home?”

“Give us ten minutes.  Why don’t you put a pot of coffee on?  And hey,” Shaun says soothingly, “careful of the broken china.  Don’t need you hurting yourself too.”

Cody murmurs assent and hangs up. 

“We should’ve told him.” Zach says from the back, and Shaun looks back at him, nodding.

 

* * *

 

 

When they finally walk through the door, Shaun still in his shirt with the blood stain on and Zach with Annie held firmly to him, Cody is stood there, anxiety still evident on his face as he moves from foot to foot. 

“You want me to take her?” he says, and Zach smiles at how he tries to mask his worry with casual teenage-boy indifference.

“Yeah, thanks.”

 

Gently, Cody lifts Annie from Zach’s arms, eyes widening at the size of the lump on her head.

“What happened?” he breathed, and Shaun shakes his head.

“Just give me and your Dad a second, Cody.”

 

Cody nods and shuffles off, Annie firmly held against his chest, his lips brushing briefly against her hair.

 

Zach lets out a breath and his head thumps against the wall behind him.

“God, Shaun, what do we say about the social worker?”

“That it’s a routine thing, I guess.”

 

Zach looks at him as if to say _really, great idea._

“He isn’t an idiot, Shaun.  He knows about social workers, remember?”

“Well what do you suggest?  I can’t just say “Oh, sorry Cody, someone’s coming over because they thought I dropped a fucking _bowl_ on your sister’s head.”  What’s he gonna think then?”

Zach shakes his head and shrugs.

“I don’t know.  I honestly don’t know what we’re gonna do.”

* * *

 

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first of a two part angsty story arc. There are going to be people who disagree with the way things were handled in this, but I promise you, this happened to a friend of mine, and is (very loosely) based on those events.


	6. The Unwelcome Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Annie's accident, tempers are running high.

 

“Why are we fighting about this again?  I’ve told you a hundred time; it was an accident!”

“Yeah, well, you can’t let accidents _just happen,_ right?”

 

Shaun groans and turns away, rolling his shoulders to ease some of the tension.  The past two weeks have been a nightmare; Cody hasn’t left Annie’s side and Zach’s been so wound up he hasn’t let Shaun within two feet of him. 

 

“They don’t want to take her away; they just want to see that we’re doing okay.”

 

“Don’t be so fucking naïve, Shaun!  When I was growing up there was a kid who lived three doors down.  His dad died when he was like five and his mom worked two jobs to keep them going.  One day his kid brother fell down the stairs and broke a couple of ribs.  Next thing you know they’ve got child services all over them, making it seem like his mom couldn’t cope and saying they were gonna take his brother away.”

“What happened?”

“They left town pretty soon after.”

 

Shaun stares at him for a long moment before dropping his eyes and shaking his head.

“This is not the same thing and you know it.  Yeah, it was bad that that happened, but she was a single mother on her own working all the time; you can see why they thought what they did.”

“And we’re two men trying to bring up a family.  People still think we shouldn’t be allowed to do that.”

“Stop with the chip on your shoulder thing, okay?  That is _not_ what this is about.”

“How do you know?”

“Because this could happen to anybody, no matter where they live or what colour they are, or sexuality or whatever.”

 

Zach turns away and picks up some toys left scattered over the floor.  Shaun throws his hands up and leaves the room, walking toward the stairs.

“Cody!” he bellows, and after a moment a blonde head peers over the bannister.

“What?”

“You’d better make sure your room is organised.”

“Why?  They’re not gonna be coming upstairs.”

Shaun clenches his jaw tightly and completely fails to keep his temper in check.

“I’ve given you a chore to do and I. Want. It. Done.  Do you understand?”

“Pop, I…”

“ _Do you understand?_ ” he shouts, and Cody’s eyes widen in shock before he disappears, the door to his room slamming behind him.  Zach’s voice, tight with annoyance and thin from exhaustion pokes him right in the centre of his overwrought nerves.

 

“Good going, Shaun.”

“Cut me some slack, okay?  I’m getting whiplash from your mood swings!”

 

The knock on the front door has them both pausing for a second, Zach nodding at Shaun as he runs a hand over his hair and straightens his shirt.

 

* * *

 

 

Cody hurls things into his closet with unnecessary force.  He hates the way his stomach cramps whenever he hears raised voices; hates the way his heart beats a little faster whenever he can’t hear Annie gurgling or see her playing safely. 

 

He knows Dad and Pop are just getting angry because they’re scared, but the things that are being said and the fact that the stupid social worker is coming round is making him more and more angry, until his chest feels like it could explode under the pressure.

 

When he hears the ringing on the doorbell he drops the pair of sneakers he was about to put away and sits heavily on the bed. 

 

Even before all of this crap, these past few months have been hard on everybody.  Cody gets a weird, uncomfortable feeling when he thinks about his grandpa’s funeral a few weeks ago.  His mom had been there; all dolled up with her hair lightened and expensive looking clothes and jewellery.  When she’d looked at him she’d smiled distantly and kissed him on the cheek, but for all the attention she’d paid him, he might as well not have been there.

 

The whole day he’d had a horrible constricting feeling in his throat, and people who remembered him from when they lived in the crap neighbourhood (Dad always told him not to call it that) said that he must be really sad about his grandpa.  Cody nodded and agreed, but he knew deep down inside that that wasn’t it, not at all.

 

He’d gone straight to his room when they got back and lay on his bed, trying to remember his Mom’s face as she used to be.  When he couldn’t picture it he decided that if she can’t even call him more than twice a year she probably doesn’t count as his Mom anymore.  So she became Jeanne to everybody, even if Dad sometimes slips up when he mentions her, they all get where he’s coming from.

 

Swallowing heavily again he forces himself up to carry on cleaning up.

 

* * *

 

 

Zach makes a pot of coffee as Shaun settles Mariam (“Please, call me by my first name,”) on the couch and answers the basic questions.

 

When Zach puts the cups and pot down on the coffee table Mariam catches sight of his face and exhales a little, turning to face him;

 

“Zach, let me reassure you; I am not here as the enemy.  You have to understand, we have Annie’s best interests at heart.”

“We’re her parents; we know what her best interests are.”

 

“Look,” she soothes, eyes darting between them, “we’re not saying that necessarily.   You obviously love her a great deal and I’m not disputing that.  The fault may well have been ours; perhaps we could have offered you a little more post-adoption mentoring and support, recommended some family groups.”

 

On and on she goes, making soothing remarks interspersed with questions about exactly what happened that day.  Shaun does well at keeping his cool, though he gets flustered when she asks exactly how long he was out of the room for when it happened.

 

_Of course he can’t remember to the exact second_ , Zach spits at her in his mind, _he wasn’t expecting anything to happen._

 

His mind shudders and churns as he winds himself further and further towards snapping point.  He hasn’t slept properly since it happened, and his appetite has been minimal.  Dimly he’s still aware of Mariam’s nodding head, scribbling pen and mouth moving, saying all the right words.  Throughout the passive-aggressive techno babble Zach stares at a little spot just over Mariam’s shoulder.  If he squints he can just see the ears of the rabbit Annie so loves.  He stands abruptly.

 

Shaun looks at him as if he’s just started spouting fluent French.  Zach leans over the other sofa to snag Rabbit’s ears and twitches it out from behind the cushions. 

“I’m going to take this up to her.” He says, and neither Mariam or Shaun respond as he leaves the room.

 

The journey up the stairs has never seemed so long, and that nagging, asshole voice in Zach’s brain, the one that has been mostly quiet for years now, stirs, stretches and sees a great opportunity.

 

_You’re surprised this is happening?  You bought yourself ten years of happiness, let yourself believe this awesome life was forever.  Well, more fool you Zach, you’re still just a poor white trash street artist underneath your nice clothes and big house._

Then the other sweet, kind part that believes actually, yeah, all of this _is_ deserved, clears its throat and asks to be heard

 

_Ignore it, Zach,_ it says with a voice like his mom. _You deserve this as much as anybody else.  You’ve worked hard and put all that bad stuff behind you.  You and Shaun are a really strong team, and it’s going to take more than one little accident to break you._

He stops just outside Annie’s nursery, leaning his head against the cool wood of her door, feeling the feather from the dream catcher tickle at his fingertips.  Pushing open the door he stands, watching the gentle rise and fall of Annie’s chest, the remnants of crumbs from her sandwich clinging onto her baby-soft strands of hair.  Sucking a deep breath in through his nose he walks over to the crib as quietly as he can, palms pressing against the smooth pine.

 

In here, away from the resentment and anxiety that seems to fill the rest of the house, Zach can almost believe everything is going to be alright.  The colours of the wallpaper and the bright toys in the corner are muted by the weakened light straining through the curtains, and the gentle rustle of the wind chime outside the window is soothing.

 

* * *

 

 

Cody’s on his way back from the bathroom when he sees Zach standing over Annie’s cot, head bowed, breathing deeply.  Cody almost reaches out for him, before he realises that actually, this is probably one of those times he wants to be left alone.  The sheer level of _unfair_ hits him like a punch in the stomach, and he feels the muscles in his neck and back tighten with tension.

 

_This is bullshit_ , Cody decides, and makes debatably one of the most unwise decisions of his young life.

 

Walking down the stairs, hands balled into fists so tightly his knuckles turn white, Cody walks into the room where Shaun sits facing the social worker.  All the stress, all the pain of the last week bubbles to the top and he practically _growls_ at the woman sitting so demurely on the couch in _his_ house.

“Why are you here?”

 

Shaun stops what he’s saying and looks up in shock, brow creasing at the sight of Cody, flushed and angry.

“Cody, what?”

“I’m talking to _her_.” He says, glaring at Mariam, who raises her eyebrows in surprise.

“ _Not now_.” Shaun says, just a hint of a threat in his voice.

“Why’d you have to come in here and talk all this shit about how you think they hit Annie?  My parents love us and they would never do something like that, so why don’t you just take your goddamn report and go shove it up your fucking _ass_?”

 

The silence that follows is punctuated only by the sound of Cody’s heavy breathing and Shaun’s huff of shock.  After a moment Shaun recovers, raising a slightly shaking hand to point at the door.

“Get upstairs.  We will talk about this later.”

 

Pulse fluttering in panic and realising the enormity of his mistake Cody turns on his heel and leaves as quickly as he can, tripping up halfway up the stairs and landing heavily on his hands and knees.

  _Shit._

 

* * *

 

“I’m so sorry.” Shaun says after a moment, and feels his cheeks colour in shame.  “That…uh, that’s really not like him.”

“Quite a temper he’s got there.” She observes, voice giving away no clues.

“He’s just under a lot of stress.  We all are.” Shaun says, pointedly.

 

Mariam nods and writes something down on her pad.  Slipping it into her bag she stands, lips curved upward in a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Thank you for your time;  we’ll be in touch.”

 

As soon as her car is out of sight the forced smile falls from Shaun’s face and he turns, back pressed up against the door as he looks up at the top level of the house.  He enjoys the relative peace of the hallway before he hears Zach’s voice coming from the top of the stairs.

 

“Everything okay?” 

 

In this, like in everything else, Shaun wants to protect not only Zach, but Cody too.  Because even after all this time, Zach still suffers enough from paranoia that sometimes his anxieties rub off on people around him.  As angry and quite frankly shocked as Shaun is at Cody, he knows what he said came from a stressed out, defensive place, and God help him but he feels the same.

 

At the same time, perhaps he feels irritated at Zach for running away from the meeting.  Solidarity was what they had agreed on, and Shaun can’t help but feel abandoned and more than a little hurt.  He bites his tongue and tells himself that a full-on argument isn’t going to solve anything.

 

“She’s gone,” he says, forcing his face into neutrality.

“Did it go okay?”

 

_Not really._

“Uh, it was going alright, but Cody sorta…contributed.”

Zach’s face creases.

“What happened?”

“He’s just on edge Zach, we all are.”

“Tell me.”  Zach’s voice holds no teasing, no fun.

“He said some stuff to Maryam.  Just about how we hadn’t done anything and she should just, you know,” he pauses, wondering how to rephrase _shove it up your ass._   “leave and take her stuff with her, because she wasn’t welcome.”

 

“Fuck.” Zach breathes, jaw setting tightly.

“Just, let him cool off, alright?”

“Why’d he have to open his mouth?”

“I don’t know.  Like I said, this isn’t easy on any of us, but if we just…”

 

Zach pushes away from where he’s been leaning against the wall and walks down the hallway, toward Cody’s room.

 

* * *

 

 

Cody looks up when Zach enters, regret still churning in his stomach.

“Dad, I…”

“Save it, Cody.”

 

Cody forces himself not to look away, no matter how much he wants to.

 

_You made your bed, now you gotta lie in it._

“Do you have any idea of what you’ve done?  We didn’t ask you to get involved.  All you had to do was stay out of it.”

 

“Why? She’s my sister and you guys are my parents.  Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?  I’m not a kid anymore!  Just say it; you think I’m so stupid that I’d mess it up.”

“You know what?  I didn’t before, but maybe I do now.”

 

Cody flinches as though he has been slapped, and through the anger Zach feel the first icy fingers of guilt trailing down his rigid spine.  Of all the things he hates most about himself it’s the way he seems to have inherited some of the same temper Jeanne had.  She was always so easy to shout, to grip a little arm too tightly, to smack too easily.  He’d always prided himself on being Cody’s shelter from that, and now here he was, putting him down with a few cruel words.

 

“I…I didn’t mean...” he starts, fumbling around, but Cody has already turned away, putting his headphones on and lying down on the bed.  The conversation is clearly over.

 

* * *

 

 

More weary than he can ever remember being, Zach walks down the stairs, acutely aware of everything that’s been said, and unsaid, today.  Shaun looks up at him, waiting for him to make the first move.  Zach shakes his head and walks past him to the kitchen.  Shaun follows (of course he does, he always will), and stands leaning against the table.

 

“Did Cody say anything?” Shaun asks quietly.

“Not so much.”

 

Shaun recognises this all too well if the lurch of his stomach is anything to go by.

“The rest of it went okay, I think.  She seems okay, but then, her job isn’t exactly all hearts and flowers is it, so I guess sometimes…”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”  Shaun sighs.

“Zach, come on, we need to discuss this.  It isn’t going to go away by ignoring it.”

“I gotta start dinner.”

 

Shaun stands staring at Zach as he busies himself getting out a chopping board and the sharp knife, deftly peeling and chopping an onion before tossing it into a pan.  The silence between them is thick with accusations and fear, and it feels as though the fuse that’s been smouldering for far too long is going to blow them all sky-high.

 

After a full five minutes of Shaun waiting for some kind of reaction he cracks.

 

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” he snaps.

The bone deep tiredness residing in Zach’s body renders him unable to respond, and he mechanically carries on chopping, scraping and placing various ingredients into the pan.

 

“ _Fuck_ , Zach, are you going to even _say_ anything?”

Zach looks at him, sees the anger and fear written across his husband’s face, and can’t think of a damn thing to reassure him.  Words, never his strong point anyway, fade completely when they stand, facing off against each other in the kitchen of this beautiful house they’re both so proud of.  For the expression Shaun’s wearing and the way he’s so obviously reaching out to Zach, they may as well have been back in the car outside of Gabe’s party that night.

 

“I don’t know about you, but I am scared as shit.” Shaun whispers, and something in Zach resonates at that.  Even the voice in his head is unsure what to say to that, and squirms uncomfortably in Zach’s brain before giving up for the night.  For long seconds they stare at each other, and Shaun continues to stare into his eyes, searching for some kind of signal that Zach is even aware of the situation.  Finally, when Zach gives him nothing, he scoffs in disgust and pushes away from the table, the scrape of the leg against the tiles jarring against the quiet. 

 

“I’ve known you for too long, Zach.  I know that you’re doing that thing I _hate_ where you just pull back and go into your freaking bubble or whatever, but I got news for you: you can’t do that anymore, you hear me?  Your family needs you to be here, not acting like some goddamn _impartial observer_ while we have child protective services decide if I smashed that bowl on our daughter’s head.  Start acting like you care, or…”

 

Shaun shakes his head and turns, yanking the door open while he stuffs his feet into shoes.

“I’m going for a walk.”

 

* * *

 

_Alright now, Zach, you need to just snap out of this.  Even if you have no idea what you’re gonna do next, you have to quit punishing everybody else._

* * *

 

“Shaun?” Zach’s voice comes out shaky, unsure, but Shaun hears it.  He always hears it.  He stops, knuckles clenched tight around the door handle, as if he can’t decide whether to turn round or not.

“Shaun,” Zach repeats again, “I…I’m sorry.”

He can almost see Shaun’s shoulders sag in relief, as if those three simple words were all he was waiting for.  Zach walks toward him, heart thrumming a bizarre, slightly giddying beat.  When he is standing so close he can see the flush of red at the base of Shaun’s skull, Zach reaches up both hands and curls his fingers around the collar of the jacket.  Clenching tightly, he allows himself a moment to rest his cheek against Shaun’s shoulder, breathing in the smell that has come to mean love and reassurance.

 

“I’m sorry.  God, I am so ready for this to be over.” He murmurs, and Shaun sighs, nods.

“I know.  I just,” he starts, then turns gently to face Zach, grabbing both hands in his as they fall, “I get that this is your way of coping, but you getting crazy over what can’t be changed, or going that weird kind of silent is just…hard to deal with.  I know,” he says, pulling Zach closer so they now almost share breath, “that you have your reasons why, I understand.  I just want to try and help you to find a way to _manage_ it, to make it easier on all of us.”

 

Ever the master of eloquence, Zach can do nothing but stand there and nod dumbly, letting out a little breath of relief when Shaun brushes his lips against his cheek gently. 

“Why don’t I carry on with dinner and you go and get Annie up?  And hey,” he says, taking the spatula from Zach “Just try and imagine how Cody’s feeling right now.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he hates me.”

“He does not _hate_ you.  You both just need a little time.”

 

And like that, Zach feels just a little more invigorated, a little calmer, and a little more ready to face whatever is coming.  Because as his mom used to say;

 

_When somebody loves you, no matter how low you get, they’ll always be there to scoop you up off the floor and set you on your way._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note: As I mentioned before, this is based on true events, and it made me so angry I had to write about it. Also, this is NOT a criticism of Social Services/Child Protection Services, because they do really vital work that helps to protect vulnerable children and families. This is just one example of a case.


	7. Reassurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys get some good news, just in time for Christmas.

**22 nd December 2019**

 

The day of the follow-up appointment, Zach is just trying to de-stress a little by burying his face in Shaun’s chest, when the door bell goes.  Shaun holds him a little tighter until Zach turns his face to one side and says;

“Can we just get this over and done with?” and Shaun squeezes his shoulder as he pulls away.

“Yeah; you better go get ‘ _call-me-Maryam_ ’ inside.”

 

Zach feels like a child as he walks down the hall toward the door; his throat constricting painfully and his palms warm with nervous sweat.

 

Maryam is all smiles, like before.  She pushes her sunglasses up on to her head and holds out a hand to shake Zach’s.

“Great to see you again, Zach.  May I come in?” she asks, when Zach makes no move to welcome her inside.  He blinks and murmurs an apology, hastily standing aside.

 

Coffee made, Annie playing on the floor with her toys and Cody sitting quietly in the corner of one of the couches, Maryam takes out her file and places it on her knees.

“So, it’s been almost a week since my last visit.  How are you all doing?”

“I just gotta say something.” Cody blurts out; Maryam raises her eyebrows, and the look Zach shoots him is bordering on murderous.  “It’s alright, I’m not gonna go crazy again.  I just wanted to say sorry; I shouldn’t’ve said that stuff to you last time.  I guess I was just pissed at everything that’s been going on, you know? Anyway, yeah, that’s all.”

 

Maryam contemplates him for a moment then laughs, her mouth splitting the comfortable lines of her cheeks.

“That’s the best apology I’ve had in a while, Cody.  Thank you for that.”

 

Cody nods and shifts on the sofa, looking down at his hands and avoiding eye contact.

Maryam takes out a sheet of paper and looks down at it, settling her reading glasses on her nose.

“I understand this whole process has been very hard for you all; it’s an unfortunate part of my job, and in an ideal world this wouldn’t be an issue.  It’s clear to me, and my department, that you are doing a great job raising Annie and Cody.  Reports from the staff at the hospital that saw and treated Annie do not offer any cause for concern, and I am pleased to tell you that this will not go any further.”  She pauses, looks around at them and smiles tentatively.

“Do you have any questions?”

 

It’s on the tip of Shaun’s tongue to get mad, to ask _how did this even happen, then?_ But he doesn’t; he just offers a shake of his head and tries to let his heart rate return to normal.

 

“No, that’s great.” Says Zach, and Shaun can almost _taste_ the relief in his voice.  Maryam looks relieved, as though she was sure there were going to be threats and complaints, and shuts her folder with a relieved huff of breath.

“Well, I’m sure you want to get on with your day _,_ so I’ll be on my way.”  She gets to her feet and hefts her large bag onto her shoulder.  Zach offers to show her to the door while Shaun pulls Annie into his lap and rests his head against her downy hair.

 

Maryam is halfway through the door when she stops and turns.  She surveys Zach thoughtfully for a moment, something a lot like regret playing across her face.  She clears her throat and looks Zach straight in the eye.

 

“I just wanted to let you know that I think you’re doing a great job here.”

Zach flushes slightly, and doesn’t know whether to smile or say thank-you or what.

 

“I know I said it in there, but I know how frightening this must have been for you. I’ve got three children myself, and if anything happened to them I don’t know what I’d do.”

Zach nods, barely able to look her in the eye.

 

“You’ll be getting nothing but positive feedback from me, and I’ll make it a point to put a note on your file to say that I would recommend you personally for adoptions in the future, should you wish to go down that avenue.”  She picks up her briefcase when Zach doesn’t say anything and heads to the door.  She pauses, handle mid-way down, and turns.

“You’ve obviously got a lot of love to give, Zach.  Don’t let your anxieties get in the way.”

 

Zach feels like he could cry for a brief moment, and when she leaves he waves once before closing the door behind her.

 

Shaun pops his head out the door and raises his eyebrows.

“Everything alright?”

 

Zach nods.

 

“Yeah.”

 

* * *

 

**23 rd December 2019**

 

The Christmas tree in the front room looks a little brighter now all the awful stress is over, and Cody hums a tune to himself as he places the gifts underneath it he’d bought with money from Grandma and Grandpa. 

 

His Dad had seemed almost overwhelmed with relief when the Social Worker had been, and Pop was back to his usual chilled-out self.  Cody can hear Pop in the kitchen at the moment on the phone to Grandma, and he grins to himself as he heard the familiar tone of impatience in his voice.

 

“Yeah Mom, that’s what we said…no, no, there’s no point….Because she was doing her job!  Can we just drop it now?  I want to forget it ever happened.  Please?  Because I don’t want you talking about it on Christmas Day.   Oh god, Mom, yes, of course you can still come – we want you to!  Yes, I’ll ring Gabe after I’ve spoken to you….Tori’s fine, why do you ask?  Yeah, sure, okay, see you tomorrow night Mom….yeah, yeah…great talking to you…yeah, see ya!”

 

Cody walked in to the kitchen and saw Shaun staring at the phone in his hand in disbelief.

“Codes, promise me you’re not gonna bring someone like your Grandma home to meet us.”

 

Cody shuddered a little. “Pop, Grandma’s like, eighty.  I’m not gonna go down that road.”

 

Shaun opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it and laughed.

“Thank god for that.  Go and tell your Dad lunch is ready.”

 

 

Zach squints a little at the canvas, sitting back and scanning it critically.

“Looking good.” Cody says, and Zach jumps a little, dropping his brush on the floor. 

 

“Glad you like it.”

“It looks like her.”

 

Zach stands up and pushes the stool back, stretching out the cricks in his back and shoulders.  He’s been here most of the morning, and Pop had told Cody to let him have some space while he clears his head. _“You know how he gets, kid.”_

 

“You did good yesterday, Cody.”  Zach says, and Cody shuffles in embarrassment.

“I screwed  up, and I didn’t want you guys to get in the shit.  I mean…”

Zach nods and reaches out to squeeze him on the shoulder.

“I get it.  Don’t tell me, Pop sent you to get me in case I forget to eat, right?”

“Yeah.  He just talked to Grandma.”

 

Zach grimaces sympathetically.  “Poor guy.  She’s not gonna shut up about it the whole of Christmas, is she?”  Cody laughs a little and is about to reply when his phone rings.  He looks down at the name flashing on the screen; _xx Mandy xx_

He tries to sneak it back into his pocket but Zach’s seen and is fighting back a smile.

“Shut up!” Cody says, and Zach holds up his hands.

“Hey, I didn’t say anything!  You got something to hide?”

“No!”

 

Zach walks toward the door, and Cody feels his cheeks flush.

“Whatever.” Zach calls over his shoulder as he leaves the room.

 

Cody groans.

 

 

“So, your Mom, huh?”

Shaun rolls onto his side in bed to face Zach. “God, don’t.  Remind me again why we invited them for Christmas?”

“Hey, that was all you.” Zach says, mock-defensively.  Shaun groans and jabs Zach playfully in the ribs.

“She reminded me _again_ that Larry’s a turkey master.  You know, in case I’d forgotten since last time.”

 

A comfortable silence stretches between them, and Zach yawns, eyes sore from the day at the canvas.

“You nearly done on that painting?”

“Yeah.  Should be done by the time they get here tomorrow.  What time’s Gabe getting here?”

“About four.”

 

Zach nods, letting his eyelids drift shut.

“Zach?”

“Mmm?”

“You won’t leave me with her the whole time, will you?”

 

Zach reaches out a hand until he feels the soft skin of Shaun’s belly and strokes careful fingers down it.  The involuntary shiver Shaun gives makes him smile, and as he reaches round to rest his hand on Shaun’s hip and pull him closer, Zach whispers as seductively as he can manage;

 

“Sure am.  She’s your Mom.”

* * *

 

**END**


	8. Great News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is set still further into the future.

**2036 – November**

 

“I swear to God, she’s driving me up the wall!  I tell her she’s got to be back in by eleven thirty, she says one am.  I tell her the skirt was too short, she says I’m being a fascist.  Does she even know what that _means?_ ”

 

Zach tries to conceal the grin that always threatens to peek through whenever Shaun gets all ‘protective father’ over Annie.  Shaun runs a frantic hand through his hair, sighing when Zach puts his work to one side and shifts over, wincing at the pain in his neck.

 

“C’mere.  Sit down.”  Shaun sits down heavily next to Zach, leaning his head back into the soft fabric of the couch and sighing.

 

“She was cuter when she was a baby.” He huffs, and Zach smiles.

“But baby cute.  She’s a good looking kid now.  I mean, woman, right?”

 

Shaun looks at him for a moment, brow raised, before relenting and nodding.

“Yeah, I guess.  That’s what every guy in town seems to think too!”  Zach groans and drops his head into his hands.

“Can we not go over this again?  She’s not an idiot, Shaun, she’s eighteen years old.  She doesn’t want or need us fussing over her, right?  Remember what we said?”

 

Shaun joins in what Zach recites, rolling his eyes and drawling in a monotone;

“She’s an adult who has the right to a personal life.  Yeah, thanks, I get it.”

“I’m just reminding you what we agreed on.”

 

Shaun nods again and lies back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

“Cody called today.”  Shaun looks over, interest piqued.

“Yeah?  He okay?”

“Mmm, asked if he and Teagan could come over later.”

“What did you say?”  Zach blinks as he stares at Shaun in disbelief.

“I said no.”  It’s Shaun’s turn to look surprised now.

“What?  Why?”

“Shaun, I was _joking_ , why would I say that?”

 

Shaun shrugs and Zach shakes his head, picking up the sketch book again.

“Are we doing dinner?”

“I thought we could just get take-out.”

“Should I go and clean the guest room?”

“Did it already.”

“Oh.  Want me to check the bathroom?”

“Done.”

“Sweep the…”

“Shaun, what’s the matter with you?  You got ants in your pants or something?  They’re not due for another hour, so why don’t you go take a shower or walk the dog or something?”

Shaun raises his eyebrows seductively; “Wanna join me in the shower?”

 

Zach’s look tells him exactly what he’d like to do right then, and, holding his hands up defensively, Shaun gets up off the couch, his bones reminding him exactly how old he is right now.  Zach’s voice reaches his ears as he gets to the door.

“If you promise not to get at Annie when she gets back later I could be persuaded to work from home tomorrow…”

 

Shaun grins to himself as he grunts and walks out the door.

* * *

Cody can’t remember the last time he felt nervous coming home.  Even when he totalled his first car at the age of seventeen he wasn’t genuinely worried they’d throw him out or be super super angry.  The thing is, this really isn’t anything they would even be mad at.  He keeps telling himself; _They’ll probably be really happy._ Yet, he can’t shake the feeling of _worry_ that’s cramping up his stomach.

 

Teagan grips on to his hand, and he looks across at her, smiling in a way that he hopes is reassuring.  He knows why she’s worried.  Her parents aren’t fans of Cody’s, because they think he’s too old for her.  Teagan has told them enough times that she’s made her choice, and really, ten years isn’t that much.  Deep down Cody knows that they also hold reservations about his parents, and it isn’t something he’d ever say to Teagan, because she would protest and get upset at the thought that he could think her parents were like that.  It was true though.

 

He raises his hand to knock at the blue front door of the white house, and his heart skips a beat when he sees his Pop coming down the stairs, clearly trying to beat his Dad from the kitchen.  Shaun flings open the door and wraps Cody in a manly embrace, murmuring a hello into his ear.  Zach squeezes past him to give Teagan a kiss on the cheek and offers to take her coat, elbowing Shaun out the way.

“Come in guys, I’m sorry about Shaun, he’s having a mid-life crisis.”

 

Shaun glares at him and walks back into the house to the sound of Teagan’s laugh and Cody’s sighs.

“You want a glass of wine?  I got some great white here.”

“Ah, no, no, we’re good with soda, thanks Pop.”  Shaun raises an eyebrow; Teagan isn’t one to turn down a glass of anything, as far as he knows.  Unless…

“Shaun?  You want me to get the drinks?”  Zach offers, wary of the odd expression on Shaun’s face.  He shakes his head and smirks into the fridge as he gets the soda out.

 

* * *

 

 

Settled in the front room Zach looks at both Teagan and Cody; there’s something he can’t quite put his finger on.

“What’s going on?”

 

Shaun grins before Cody even opens his mouth; _I know what’s coming_

“We, uh, wanted to come and talk to you guys face to face because…well, we’re having a baby.”

 

There is silence for just half a heartbeat, before Shaun is up on his feet, giving hugs and congratulatory kisses and pats on the back.  A little overwhelmed, Zach shakes Cody’s hand and squeezes Teagan before he gets the _I gotta get out of here_ feeling, and Shaun squeezes his arm comfortingly to say _it’s okay, take time if you need it_.

 

Cody watches Zach go and frowns.

“Is Dad alright?”  Shaun waves him away, a grin still plastered over his face, squeezing in to sit next to Teagan.

 “Oh, you know what he gets like; too much stuff in his head and he just has to go and have some quiet time.”

 

* * *

 

 Zach feels ridiculous; sat up in the studio staring at the unfinished work that’s been bugging him for months.  He knows Shaun is probably smoothing over any concerns they have, and talking about due dates and stuff.  Stuff that Shaun can talk about without sounding over-eager or stupid; _Stuff I don’t know how to ask, still_. 

 

Sometimes, when Zach catches sight of himself in the mirror, grey hair around his temples and definitely more lines than fifteen years ago, he’s surprised.  In his head he still feels twenty two, a bit awkward and overawed at all the great things happening to him in his new life with Shaun.  Only when he realises that they’ve been together the best part of _thirty years_ does he remember that he’s know not a million miles away from fifty, and definitely old.

 

There is a knock at the door and Zach clears his throat, grabbing a paintbrush and trying to look productive.  Cody pokes his head around the door, looking like a teenager.

“Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“You okay?”

 

Zach nods, suddenly not really able to talk.

“Are you mad?”

 

_Jesus, how could I be mad?  You’re my son, and I love you so much more than you can even imagine.  I love your girlfriend, and I’m so happy you’ve found each other, but I still remember the day Jeanne bought you home from the hospital, and changing your diapers, and walking you to school._

“’Course not.  Just got stuff to do, that’s all.”

 

Cody sits down on the stool by the easel and stares at Zach.

“Dad.”

“What, Cody?”

“Are you pissed that Teagan’s pregnant?”

 

Zach lets his breath out of his nose slowly and turns around to look at him properly.

“No, I’m not pissed.  I’m happy, I swear.  It’s just...when your kid gets older you’ll understand what I mean.”

 

Cody nods, and Zach feels awful for making him worry.  Cody has always needed reassurance when it comes to people.  Reassurance that they don’t hate him, or they aren’t angry, or that they’ll think about what he’s said.  When he was growing up Zach used to beat himself up over it, convinced that it was his bad parenting that made him like that, but as Shaun pointed out; _Jeanne did give birth to him, and who on this whole planet is more insecure than her?  Cody can’t help his genetics any more than we can help ours._

* * *

 

Sometimes he forgets Cody is an adult.  Zach still pictures him in his mind’s eye as being five years old, or sometimes sixteen on a more realistic day.  It’s only when he blinks at the tall man in front of him, definitely in his thirties, that he fully grasps the fact that he has a house, and a credit card, and a woman that loves him.  The thought sometimes catches him unawares as he teaches class or picks Annie up from a party and is more poignant than he will ever admit to. 

 

It isn’t even just Cody now, either.  He’d gone into a sort of internalised grief when Annie and Shaun had sat down to do her college applications, because their beautiful daughter announced that she wanted to study medicine four states away.  Shaun had insisted they take two days off work because no matter how many times Zach insisted he was alright, Shaun knew better.  He’d dragged Zach to the beach and firmly placed the surfboard in his hands, telling him to take it out on the waves.  He’d paddled out again and again until the sun started to go down, and his body told him firmly that he needed to get back into shape.  Shaun had rented a room at the motel near the beach, and drawn him down into his arms, listening patiently while he clumsily expressed what he was feeling.

 

Cody looks at Zach with a strange expression on his face, so tender and understanding that Zach feels his cheeks get red, because his own child shouldn’t be looking at him like that.  _You’re turning into a crazy old man, Zach_ , his mind pitches in, and he forces himself to look back at Cody.

“What you looking at, huh?” he asks, gruffly, and Cody grins.

“C’mon, come downstairs and have a beer with me, or Pop’ll have bored Teagan to tears asking her questions.”

 

* * *

 

Shaun looks up as Zach and Cody come back into the room, Zach looking at him apologetically.  Shaun says nothing, just stretching out his arm along the back of the sofa next to him.  Zach sits down quietly, relishing the ever-comforting warmth against his side.  Cody sits next to Teagan, and it warms Zach’s heart to see how they curl into each other like the missing pieces of a puzzle.

“Where’s Annie?” Cody asks, and Shaun snorts.

“Out.  Partying.”

“She handed in a big paper today.  She’s at a friend’s house.”  Zach supplies, nudging Shaun.

Cody pulls a face and taps a few buttons on his cell phone.  Zach catches sight of Shaun’s scowl and _tssk_ ’s at him, shaking his head.

“I just messaged her telling her to get her ass home somehow.” Cody grins, and Zach shakes his head.

 

* * *

 

They drink soda and beer until the sound of the front door slamming makes all of them laugh, and Annie clatters into the front room.  Taller than Zach, she has wristbands and bracelets jangling about her wrists, and her hair pinned up; the purple streaks Shaun was so annoyed about clearly visible.  She throws herself at Cody, wrapping her arms about his neck, and burying her face in his neck.

 

“You asshole, you didn’t tell me you were coming!” she says, punching him playfully.  Cody grins and moves to tickle her ribs, Annie twisting away and squealing.  “So what’s going down?  Why are you here?”

“Annie.” Chides Zach warningly, and she shrugs.  Cody moves his arm to rest around Teagan’s shoulders.

“We’re having a baby.” He says, and Annie stares at them open mouthed before shrieking loudly.

“No WAY!  Oh my GOD! That’s awesome guys!  I’m so happy for you!”

 

Then it’s all laughs and hugs and squeals from Annie while she absorbs the news in the way that she always has done; loudly.  Zach even thinks he spies the start of a smile on Shaun’s face, but he suppresses it well as he keeps the ‘angry dad’ face on.

 

* * *

 

 

Zach makes an excuse to get Cody and Teagan out of the room later, leaving Shaun and Annie alone, pointedly not looking at each other. 

 

Shaun checks his watch, drums his fingers on the arm of the sofa and very pointedly doesn’t look over at his daughter.

 

Annie checks Facebook three times in two minutes, chews on the inside of her cheek and tells herself that she doesn’t need to feel guilty.

 

Cody looks through the glass of the door and frowns at the two sitting silently.

“What’s going on with them?” he asks, and Zach shakes his head, snorting softly.

“You know what they’re like.  Pop nearly had a coronary when Annie started arguing back about her curfew and called him a fascist, or something.”  Teagan laughs softly, and Cody clicks his tongue.

“I’m surprised he didn’t make her change that skirt.  It’s way too short.”  Teagan pinches him gently and raises an eyebrow when he looks at her in surprise.

 

Zach can’t help but smile.  Sometimes he can’t believe Cody and Shaun don’t share DNA, because they are exactly the same in some ways, and especially so when it comes to Annie.

 

* * *

 

Annie finally puts the phone down and stands up, pulling her skirt down and fiddling with the hair that’s burst free of its clips.  She toes off the boots Shaun hates but she loves and walks over to where he’s sitting, sliding onto his lap and twining her arms about his neck. He huffs once and relents, wrapping his arms around the daughter who is most definitely too big to be doing this.

“Sorry Pop.” She says, and he _hmm_ ’s an assent, enjoying having her close.  “I shouldn’t have been a bitch.”

“No, well, I get it.  You’re an independent woman and all now, so…”  Annie pulls back and stares at him, brow creased.

“I’m a _what_?” 

 

Then she and Shaun are snorting and laughing like idiots, and she kisses him on the cheek before wiggling so her ass hits the sofa cushion next to him and her legs are flung casually across him.

“So, a baby, huh?  Oh my God, that means you two are gonna be, like, grandparents!”  Shaun sighs dramatically and narrows his eyes at her.

“Yeah, thanks for that, brat!”

“Hey!” she protests, and thumps him with a nearby cushion.  Shaun reacts by reaching over and flicking her on the head.

 

Out in the kitchen Zach rolls his eyes at the developing play fight, and turns back to the other two.

“Alright, we better get in there before they get too carried away.”

 

* * *

 

 

After Chinese takeout and more talking, at around eleven Teagan finally lets out a massive yawn, covering her mouth immediately after and looking embarrassed.  They all laugh and Cody takes that as his cue to get her home. Zach and Shaun wave them off at the door until they can no longer see the car headlights.  Zach feels that familiar tug of separation for a brief second, until Shaun presses his forehead up against his temple and breathes softly.

“Want a coffee, grandpa?”  Zach nods, suddenly tired from the events of the evening.  After saying goodnight to Annie, who wants to stay up and watch an old fifties sci-fi re-run on TV, they plod up the stairs to their bedroom.

 

* * *

 

Zach is affectionate when they slide into bed; lips moving across Shaun’s jaw and lips, moving his fingertips across his arms and chest.  Shaun doesn’t call him on it, because he knows that this is just Zach’s way of making sure that he’s there with him, and all of this is them, living their life _together_ , and all of these wonderful things that are happening are due to the way they bought up their troublesome, wonderful children.

 

“You alright?” Shaun murmurs against the shell of Zach’s ear, and Zach smiles shyly.

“Yeah.”

“Good.  You happy?”

 

Zach looks at him, and his face looks so peaceful and young that for a moment he could be twenty two again, lying in Shaun’s bed for the first time, eyes bright with excitement and discovery.

 

“Wha’cha thinking?” Zach says, squirming a little under Shaun’s steady gaze.

“Oh, you know, about how much _hotter_ you were when we first met.”

 

Zach snorts and rolls his eyes, wriggling down the bed until he can rest his head comfortably in the dip of Shaun’s shoulder.

“Asshole.”

 

He falls asleep soon after that, breathing deep and low.  Shaun stays awake for a little while longer, staring at the ceiling and picturing his first grandchild.  Would he or she be a writer, or a painter?  Or (he shuddered to think) an accountant or realtor?

 

He cut himself off with a small smile.  _Whatever_ , he thought.

* * *

 

**END**


	9. Duke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie brings someone home to meet her parents.

**April 2040**

 

“He’s called _what_?” Shaun says in disbelief, and Zach grins at him wickedly.

“Duke.  He’s on the same course as Annie.”

 

Shaun winces.  “What, his parents couldn’t think of anything less…”

“Don’t ask me.  I’m just telling you what I know.”

“And he _has_ to come and meet us?”

“Shaun…”

 

Shaun holds his hands up in defeat and picks up the book he was reading, face set in a scowl.  He’s never been totally happy with the (few) guys Annie has bought home to meet them, mainly because about three years previously she had a string of overly-artistic douchebags who were either a) so pretentious Shaun had to leave the room or b) arrogant beyond all belief, making Zach deeply uncomfortable.

 

Thankfully that only lasted a few months, and since then things have been…quiet on that front.  Zach has a sneaking suspicion that could be because she’s learnt that as long as she doesn’t bring them home Shaun can’t judge too harshly.

 

He slips out of the room and pads softly upstairs, where he picks up the landline.  Dialling one of the four numbers he knows off by heart, he waits five rings before it gets picked up.

 

“Hey Dad!”

“Hey, how’re you?”

“Ergh, fine, just buried under a pile of work.  I’ve got a paper due next week and it’s driving me crazy!”

“Just keep going, you’ll be alright.”

 

There’s a pause, and that tiny tut Annie does that’s so like Shaun when he realises he’s going to have to keep the conversation going.

“So, everything okay?  Pop not driving you crazy?”

“Only for the past thirty years, but no, not really.”

“Dad, it’s not that I’m not happy to talk, but you kinda sound like there’s something on your mind.”  Zach smiles to himself.

“So, you know Duke?”

“Yeah, I think I know him.  Oh,” and he can almost see the realisation dawning, “Did you talk to him?  Would it be okay if I bought Duke back to see you guys?”

Zach knows Shaun will grumble for the next week, but as long as it’s out of his system by the time their girl gets back, he doesn’t care.

“Yeah, bring him back if you want.  Pop…uh, can’t wait to meet him.”

There is silence on the other end of the line for a moment;

“He went nuts, didn’t he?”

“No, Annie.   He’s just…you know.”

“Yeah, I know.  You will talk to him, won’t you, Dad?”

 

Zach promises to try and pacify Shaun, and hangs up, shaking his head.

 

* * *

 

 

When Spring Break finally comes around Shaun has become more accustomed to the idea of Annie returning with a companion, and feigns outrage when Zach makes him swear not to be a dick to the poor kid.

“Don’t ask him if he’s read your books.  And _do not_ ask him if he’s ever committed a felony.”

Shaun says that he would never ask anybody that, but his protestations are half-hearted.

“I mean it.  Just try and be…nice, okay?”

 

So, when they hear Annie’s key in the lock, Shaun puts on his best ‘jovial dad’ face and is all smiles and handshakes with this _Duke_ kid.  Zach reassures Annie that he isn’t going to suddenly go for his jugular, and she shouldn’t worry.  He thinks she believes him.

 

* * *

 

 

In spite of all his (many) misgivings, Shaun finds himself warming to Duke.  A nice, well bought up All-American kid, with liberal views and a bright future ahead of him, he’s hard to dislike.  Shaun can even forgive the way he’s made their daughter into a giggling adolescent at the age of 22.

 

“I don’t get it,” he grumbles to Zach as they watch Duke and Annie flick water at each other in the garden like a couple of kids. “does he _have_ to be so perfect?”

“Hey, watch your mouth!” Zach says, smacking him in the arm.  Shaun grins.

“You know what I mean.  He took a year out after high school to go and teach orphans English in Africa, for Christ’s sake!  He makes us look like a pair of bums.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but…”

 

Shaun rolls his eyes and winds an arm around Zach’s waist to pull him closer.  Zach hums in pleasure and rests his head against Shaun’s shoulder as they watch their daughter shrieking with laughter outside.

“Think we look weird staring through the window at them?” Shaun asks after a moment, and Zach snorts.

“Probably.  Wanna go catch a movie or something?”

“Yeah.  Wait; does that mean they’re gonna be in the house alone?”

“Shaun?”

“What?”

“Just put your shoes on.”

 

* * *

 

 

He catches Zach first, waiting until Shaun and Annie go to the grocery store.  They leave the house play-fighting and teasing each other, Annie’s pretend-outraged shrieks cut off only by her whoop of delight when Shaun thorws her the car keys to the new S.U.V

“They always like that?” Duke laughs, and Zach nods, taking two cups from the cupboard as the kettle boils.

“Ever since we brought her home, they just can’t help getting at each other.  Shaun worships her, you know?”

“Oh yeah, she always talks about you guys and Cody.  Kinda makes a guy feel inadequate.”

 

Zach looks at him to see how much truth is in his words.  Duke’s face is open, and there’s only a tiny flicker of something almost…envious

“Nah, you don’t have to worry.  We’re just a little unconventional, that’s all.  It’s not always been easy for us.”

Duke nods, contrition lurking at the corners of his mouth and eyes.

“You’ve done a great job with her.  That is…she’s a wonderful woman.” 

Zach laughs at his earnest expression and waves him away.

“Duke, you’re a great guy, but please, you gotta chill out, okay?  You’re making me nervous.”

 

Duke sits down at the kitchen table, hands folded on top of each other, teeth pulling at his lower lip.  Zach raises an eyebrow, and wishes Shaun was there to make a quick joke or for he and Annie to hurry up and finish at the store already.

“Thing is, Mr…ah, Zach,” he adds hastily as Zach sighs a little, “I…want to do things right.  My mother raised me to be the man that my father never was.”

 

_Holy shit,_ Zach realises, _I know what this is._

“Good to know.” He says neutrally, and adds just as Duke looks like he’s about ready to throw up, “How about you just say what’s bugging you?”

 

“I want to ask you for permission to marry your daughter, sir.” Duke says firmly, and for all the usual parental misgivings Zach has, he smiles.

“You’re both kinda young, don’t you think?”

 

As soon as he sees the sly look in Duke’s eye, Zach knows what’s coming.

“With all due respect sir, Annie tells me you were younger than she is now when you met Shaun.”

 

Zach can admit when he’s beaten.

“Got me there.  So, why should I say yes?”

 

Duke blinks and opens his mouth, clearly not expecting that.

“I’ve got two years left before I qualify.  My grades are good, and I’m in the top percentile this semester.  I want Annie to have her own career too, so you wouldn’t have to worry about that.  My family are good people; at least, my mother’s side, that is.  And…I really want to make your daughter as happy as she makes me.”

 

Zach nods after a moment before reaching over to pick the kettle up and put coffee into both mugs.

“Duke, if that’s what you want, I’m not going to stand in your way.”

 

Duke’s face falls, and Zach can almost hear him wondering what went wrong.

“Are you not okay with this?  Because if you’re not, I won’t ask.”

 

Zach stares into the swirling liquid in the cup for a long moment.

“Our children were our whole world for a long time.  I don’t have any family left to speak to, and with Shaun’s brother and his family living in New York now, we don’t have a close network of suppose.  Not that we needed it; we’ve done pretty good by ourselves.  I just think that maybe you haven’t thought this through enough.  Don’t take that personally,” he says, as Duke looks distressed, “I don’t know what Annie’s said about us, but Shaun was, uh, the first same-sex relationship I ever had, and that wasn’t easy for me to handle at all.  But we made it, and I’ve never had to look back, because Shaun’s always been this constant guiding force in our lives.  Can you honestly say that you’ll think the same about my daughter in twenty or thirty years?”

 

Duke nods, not an ounce of uncertainty or fear in his gaze.  Zach shrugs and hands him the coffee.

“Then you don’t need to ask my permission; you’ve got your answer.”

 

* * *

 

 

Duke rubs his palms together and takes a deep breath in through his nose.  Shaun is leaning back in his chair facing the garden, eyes narrowing every now and then in contempt of some turn of phrase or metaphor.  Duke wills his feet to just take that step out the door onto the decking, but an invisible force nails him the ground where he stands. 

 

It hadn’t gone too badly with Zach, at the end, and Duke was cautiously optimistic that Shaun wouldn’t refuse him outright.  Well, maybe more like fifty five percent.

 

“Mr Andrews?” he says, and he blinks as he realises he’s looking down at Shaun, and he’d moved without even realising.  Shaun _tssks_ quietly and turns the page.

“Just call me Shaun, okay?  Mr Andrews was my dad.”

“Oh yeah, sure.  Well, uh, Mr Andrews…Shaun…sir…”

 

Shaun sighs, puts the bookmark in the page and turns to face Duke fully.

“What’s up, huh?  If you have something to say, just go ahead and say it.  I’m not getting any younger here.”

 

Duke flexes his hands and walks over to the edge of the decking.

“I, uh.  Annie’s great.”  He says, and Shaun sighs a little to himself.

“Preaching to the converted there, son.  She’s my daughter;  I know.”

The other man nods, swallows nervously and nods, forcing himself to turn round and face Shaun directly.

“The thing is; I want to marry her.”

 

Shaun stares at him in shock for a few seconds, and Duke feels sweat start prickling under his arms.

“I’m sorry; what?”

“I just think that she’s the greatest girl, I mean, _woman_ I’ve ever met, and I don’t want anybody else to have her.  That is,” he says, wincing at Shaun’s raised eyebrows, “I mean, I want to be the one that spends the rest of his life with her.  Not some other idiot.”

 

Shaun _knows_ he really shouldn’t laugh, because the poor kid is getting more and more nervous and is digging himself a hole so deep they’re going to need to hire a crane to get him out.  He harrumphs instead and picks up his book, trying to will his twitching mouth into submission.  The silence between them is punctuated by Duke shifting about on the decking, hands grasping the rail as he tries to figure out what’s going on.

 

“Do me a favour, Duke.  Sit down before you hurt yourself, okay?”

 

Nodding in relief, Duke sits down on the chair, eyes closed as he huffs out a breath.

“Tell me why you’re the best person to marry my daughter.”

 

* * *

 

 

“What do you think he’s saying to him?”  Annie asked, face drawn with anxiety.  Zach rolled his eyes; after the fourth time the question sounded boring.

“They’re just having guy time.”

“But you’re a guy; why isn’t he bonding with you?”

 

“Because they’ve got more in common, and because Pop’s just kinda…overprotective.  He worries about you.  Besides, Duke and I get along great.”

 

Annie groaned and let her head fall against the glass of the window.

“He doesn’t _need_ to worry about me; I’m fine!  I’m a doctor, kinda.  Isn’t that what parents want?  A doctor or a lawyer.”

“It wouldn’t matter if you were the president; we’re always going to worry about you and hope you’re okay.  You’re our daughter.”

 

“What if he’s telling him to leave the country or something?”

“Alright now, that’s enough,” Zach says sternly, and Annie drops her eyes, a little ashamed.  “He loves you, and you know he would never do anything to make you unhappy.  He just wants to make sure Duke’s good enough for you.  Now stop being a brat and put on a pot of coffee.  Besides,” he says, as Annie leaves the room, “he doesn’t even have a gun, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

 

* * *

 

 

Zach pulls Annie’s case from the car, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close just for a second, breathing in the smell of his baby girl for just a moment longer.

 

Shaun holds out a hand to Duke, who looks at him in disbelief for a second, before grabbing it and shaking it enthusiastically.

“About that idea of yours,” Shaun says casually, and Duke’s eyes widen as he realises where he’s going with it.  “If you’re sure, I don’t think that should be a problem.”

 

Duke’s rendered speechless for a moment, and Shaun can’t resist chuckling at the sight of his face.

“But you better be sure, because this is a long term investment, you know what I’m saying?”

Duke nods so fast his head nearly falls off.  “Yes sir, absolutely.  Thanks for the advice.”

 

* * *

 

 

They bid them farewell at the gate and watch as they disappear through it.

 

In the car on the way back Zach is quiet, and Shaun smiles to himself.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

“Knew what?” 

Shaun looks across at him and raises an eyebrow. “You know damn well what.  Were you gonna tell me?”

Zach shrugs, moving the sun visor down to keep out the glare.

“Not my thing to tell.  He wanted to ask us for permission, so I let him.  Of course, with me it was easier.  With you…”

 

Shaun should protest at that, but he thinks that _perhaps_ they have a point.  Instead he just stays quiet until they reach home.  Shaun’s just unlocking the door when Zach’s hands sneak about his waist and hold him tight, tracing the not-quite-as-firm muscles on his stomach, and pressing a single kiss to his shoulder.  Shaun grins, turning to pull Zach’s face into a firm, demanding kiss.  After a few seconds Shaun feels his neck start to stiffen and he groans.

“We’re way too old for this.”

 

Zach pulls back, a grin on his face.

“Speak for yourself, grandpa.” Zach taunts.  Shaun pulls a comic grimace of horror.

“Our son is a father, our daughter’s getting married.  Jeez, just send me to the retirement home already.”

 

Zach pats his shoulder condescendingly.

“Aww, okay.  I guess I’ll just make up the bed on the sofa.  And hey, just in case you can’t get up to pee, I’ll leave a bell or something.”

 

Shaun snorts and reaches to snag Zach and pull him in through the now open door, twisting their bodies so Zach’s pressed up against the wall.

“Get your ass upstairs and I’ll make you feel twenty one again.”

 

“Oh man, _corny_ ,” Zach sighs in faux disappointment, eyes warm when he looks back up at Shaun, “But effective, I guess.”

 

 

The look Shaun returns makes the almost-dormant embers of desire in Zach’s belly flicker into an active flame.  As they walk up the stairs Zach lets a hand ghost over the top of Shaun’s thigh, and grins to himself.

“Turn out the lights.”

 

The stairs are plunged into darkness, and to the rest of the street it looks like the elderly couple are headed for an early night, probably interrupted by stiffness in ageing joints and dreams of their long-gone youth. 

 

Only the two people snickering as they murmur shared jokes and endearments to each other know any different.

* * *

**END**

 

 


	10. Gabe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set first in the summer of 2042, there is some life changing news for one of the characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: character death (not major)

**June 2042**

 

“Mr Andrews…”

“Gabe.”

“Right, _Gabe_.  It’s not good, I’m afraid.”

Gabe sighs, rubbing his idle left hand across his face as Tori lets out a little stifled whimper and holds on tighter to his fingers.

“The tests show that the mass in your abdomen is cancerous.”

 

Heart thudding, Gabe closes his eyes for just a moment before forcing himself to smile and look at the consultant, sat one step removed from them at the big desk.

 

“So, how long have I got?” he says, the jaunty tone of his voice sounding horribly forced.  Tori looks at him in horror, eyes wet.

“Gabe!” she exclaims, dropping his hand.

“What, Tor?  I gotta know what I’m up against, don’t I?”

 

The consultant leans back in his chair, surveying him thoughtfully.

“We measure the progress of cancers in stages one to four.  One being still localised and the best possible prognosis and four being untreatable and most likely to be terminal.  At the moment yours is late stage two.”

 

Gabe nods, wondering when the ground started feeling so far away.

 

“What now?”  Tori asks, paling as she sneaks a look at him from the side of her eye.

“We’ll need to operate, try and get as much of the tumour out as possible.  Then probably chemotherapy and maybe radiotherapy, dependant on the success of the operation.”

 

His whole life Gabe’s been the guy with the quick remark, the easy smile, the risqué joke, but for all of that he can’t think of a single damn thing to say.

 

Tori asks some more questions in a voice that sounds thin from shock, but Gabe’s grip on reality isn’t the hottest right now, and _god_ , all he wants is to get back to the house and open a beer or drink a bottle of whiskey or _something_ , because this is just all too…

 

“Gabe?”

He looks up at Tori, who grips onto her purse with one hand and holds out her other to him.  Gabe nods at the doctor and says something (he can’t remember what exactly) and walks after her like a child.

 

* * *

 

 

Two days later Shaun walks into Zach’s studio, a grin on his face.

“Guess what?”  Zach looks at him, eyebrows raised.

“What?”

“Tori called; they’re coming to stay for a few days.”

“Cool; they alright?”

Shaun nods in that way that Zach knows means he probably didn’t ask.

“You can get the spare room cleared; that oughta keep you busy for about three hours.”

 

With a snort Shaun shakes his head and goes to leave.  Zach smiles and turns his attention back to the canvas.

 

Over the past ten years he and Gabe had drifted a little; it was only natural, what with moving to New York for his fancy-pants city job (a source of endless amusement to Zach), and the kids putting down roots and growing up themselves.  Still, despite the distance, the couple of times a year they did see each other was welcome, and they easily slipped back into the camaraderie they’d had since they were children.

 

_Yeah,_ Zach thinks, _this is gonna be great._

* * *

 

 Opening the door Shaun swept Tori into a hug, kissing her soundly on her cheek.

“Hey Tor.” He says, and she squeezes him back as best she can with the bags in her hands.

“Hey.” She murmurs, and Zach notices how tired she looks.  He knows they’re not as young as they were, but the bags under her eyes are looking pretty pronounced.

 

“You gotta stop perving on my wife, man.” Gabe stage whispers in his ear, and Zach blinks, laughing as Gabe pulls holds his hand out for the secret handsake they insist on doing every time they meet, regardless of the circumstance.

 

“They’re still kids, aren’t they?”  Tori sighs, and something in her voice makes Shaun look at her for a second, before taking the suitcase and ushering them inside.

  

* * *

 

After they settle in Gabe nudges Zach and suggests they go out to the garden to have ‘man-time’.  After a brief play-scuffle between he and Shaun, Zach leads the way, a couple of bottles in hand. 

 

They settle on the swing and Gabe sighs, stretching his legs out and breathing in deeply.

 

“So bud, what’s going on?” Zach asks, handing Gabe a beer.

“Ah, you know, not much.” Gabe replies, a little too cheery, and Zach snorts.

“You still can’t lie for shit can you?” Gabe smiles weakly and falls silent for a second.

“I’m sick, Zach.”

 

Zach’s stomach lurches and he takes a large mouthful of his beer before asking;

“What kind of sick?”

“The big ‘C’.  Stomach.”

 

Zach sits motionless, wishing desperately for some of Shaun’s eloquence as he thinks over and over _what do I say?_

“Scares the living hell out of me.” Gabe says, face taut with strain. 

They sit in silence, listening to the crackle of the cicadas for a few moments.

“How’s Tori?”

“I don’t know.  She’s trying real hard to stay super positive for the kids, but she’s trying not to talk about it.”

“Do they know?”

“Jess and Bran do, but we wanted to wait until Em gets back from Japan next week to tell her.  Don’t want her to worry while she’s away.”

The ball of cold lead that’s sitting in Zach’s stomach shifts painfully, and he winces at the thought of Emily so far away from home, blissfully unaware.

 

“You told Shaun yet?”

 

“Tori’s doin’ it.  He’ll be better to talk to her about it.  No offense man, but he’s always been good with words.”

 

* * *

 

Shaun rests his elbows on his knees, hands rubbing at his forehead. He suddenly feels every bit as old as his sixty four years, and he looks over at Tori, feet crossed in front of her as she rests her head on the back cushion of the couch.

 

“I thought he said it was an ulcer.” He mutters, feeling an unreasonable stab of irritation toward Gabe.

 

“You know what he’s like, Shaun.  He’s always been so focussed on me and the girls, always felt he had to be super happy all the time.  Especially with all the stuff Bran’s been through, you know.”

“He’ll be okay though, right?”

“I really hope so.”

 

* * *

 

 

Dinner that evening feels strained; Shaun and Gabe try too hard to keep it light, Tori looks like she’s holding back tears and Zach nurses a heavy heart.

“C’mon Zach, lighten up.  I’m not dead yet!” Gabe jokes, and both Tori and Shaun glare at him.  He sighs and puts his fork down.

“You finished already?” Shaun says sceptically, and Gabe shrugs apologetically.

“Sorry man, it tastes awesome, but I don’t have much of an appetite, you know?”

Zach looks over at Shaun and his heart aches for the way his face has fallen.

 

“Guys, this isn’t the end, okay?  I don’t want to spend the next few days with you guys covering me in bubble-wrap.  I’m gonna be fine, I swear it.

 

* * *

 

  
**March 2043**

 

They bury Gabe in the cemetery overlooking the sea.  Tori is beautiful in her grief; gripping onto Shaun’s hand like a lifeline.  Zach wraps his arms around Jess and Emily, and Gabe’s look-a-like son Brandon stares numbly at his father’s coffin as it’s lowered into the ground. 

 

Cody grits his jaw tightly and grips onto a shuddering Max, who buries his face into his father’s shoulder, upset by all the sadness around him.  Teagan stands by his side, tears on her cheeks, hands protectively cocooning her heavily pregnant stomach.

 

Zach strangely enough feels nothing.  Tori had crumpled at the chapel, her hands pressed against her mouth and nose in a vain attempt to keep the dreadful, choking sobs muffled, and a heartbroken Jess and Emily had helped her to her feet and led her away to sit down.

 

When the priest says the final prayer and everybody turns to go Zach closes his eyes for a second, just to hear the sound of the sea getting further away as the tide goes out.

 

“Dad?” Cody says, and Zach turns to look at his son, taller by a good five inches than him, and face clouded with grief.

“Yeah, I’m coming.  Just give me a sec, alright?”

 

Cody nods and walks after Teagan, murmuring soothingly in Max’s ear.

 

Zach looks out across the ocean one last time, tries to envision the house Gabe and Shaun’s parents lived in and the fooling around they did when they were kids, and tears prickle warningly at the back of his eyes.

“Shit, Gabe.” He says, and then he’s crying; all the tears that hadn’t come when they said goodbye, or when the doctors told them he’d gone, they all come now.  His breath feels short and he’s weeping like Cody used to do when he got screamed at by Jeanne.

 

Even though he knew this day would come, and god knows he isn’t naïve about death, it feels like it’s happened too soon, and Zach’s crying for the loss of their youth and all the promise of their lives ahead of them.  He feels like his heart cracks a little when his mind presents him with the scenario of a different funeral; a funeral for the man who has given him everything.  Hastily Zach shoves that thought away, because that is not something he ever wants to face.

 

Wiping his face and blowing his nose on a tissue he didn’t think he’d need, Zach turns around, his feet moving clumsily toward the huddle of people gathered by the cars ready to go on to the wake.

 

As he reaches Shaun; pale-faced and weary, Zach takes one last look over his shoulder at the headstone.

 

_Catch ya later, Gabe._

* * *

 

**END**


	11. Everybody Loves a Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie's wedding day dawns, and her parents are feeling a little strange.

**2044**

 

Zach knocks on the hotel door and grins at the sound of the scuffling and laughing girls inside.  Jess throws the door open and beams at the sight of him.

“Hey Uncle Zach!”

“Hey Jess; how’s she doing?”

 

Jess looks back over her shoulder at the sight of Annie fidgeting anxiously whilst the make-up artist applies foundation to her skin.

“Oh yeah, she’s okay.  Being a diva as always!”

Annie pulls back, away from the sponge and sticks her tongue out.

“Am not!”

 

Zach grins over at her, and she gives him a nervous smile back.

“Alright.  We’ll be back in an hour.  You better be ready.”

 

* * *

 

 

Shaun is glaring at the cravat as it refuses to lie properly.  Zach had unhelpfully suggested that he ought to know how to do one, considering he was taught how to get himself into a tux before he learnt to talk.  Shaun had suggested that as he was so goddamn smart perhaps Zach would like to do it for him.  After a brief sniping match that resulted in both of them looking glumly at the offending pieces of material, Zach has now retreated to the balcony of their hotel with a coffee.

 

Shaun breathes in through his nose, puts the thing back round his neck and tells himself he’ll try it _one more time_.  He tries not to put too much thought into it and does a quiet cheer when it works perfectly.  Examining himself in the mirror he tries to suck in the little rounded belly that wasn’t there twenty years ago, and tries to lengthen his neck to smooth out the wrinkles.

 

Zach stands in the door to the balcony, cheap white coffee mug still clutched between his fingers.  Gazing fondly at Shaun he doesn’t _feel_ old, and the guy standing there fussing over how tight the shirt is around his waist looks not a day older than when they married all those years ago.

 

“32 years.” Zach says quietly, and Shaun looks over at him questioningly.

“What?” he says, even though he knows exactly what Zach means;  he will never tire of this still-shy, sweet look Zach gets every now and then, when he’s feeling sentimental.  Zach glares at him and Shaun relents.

“Yeah, tell me about it.”  he sighs sadly, laughing when Zach pokes him hard in the side.

“Yeah, real funny old man.” Zach says fondly, moving his hand to stroke gently down the side of Shaun’s suit-covered torso.

 

“You ever think we’d make it this far?” Shaun says after a long pause.  Zach looks at him.

“What, this long, you mean?”

“Yeah, and be about to give our daughter away, and the fact that we’re grandparents twice now, and we gotta take more pills and…”

“I get what you’re saying, thanks.” Zach says, and thinks for a moment. “You know what, when you left me that napkin in that diner with your number and a tip, I think I knew we had a shot.”

 

Shaun has to think for a moment to recall that particular memory; but when he finds it in the room of his memories labelled _Zach_ , he’s more touched than he can say.

  
“Hey, don’t start getting all sappy on me now; you can’t ruin your make-up.”

 

* * *

 

 

Annie’s bridesmaids smooth down the dress behind her, and she stares, transfixed at the image in front of her.

“I look alright, don’t I?” she asks, and the girls assure her that yes, she does look beautiful. 

 

Sometimes she can’t shake the feeling that she’s pretending; a kid in an adult’s body.  She feels like an imposter, and this past six months she’s been waiting for Duke to turn round and say he doesn’t date stupid little girls.  Of course, it’s never happened, and Annie just _wants_ this all to get started so she can walk out of that hotel a bride tomorrow.

 

“Ready, sweetie?” Shaun calls from the door, and the girls all look at each other and scurry out giggling as he and Zach enter.  They both look so smart, and are looking at her with such pride that her eyes start prickling, and she can barely speak.

“Hey, c’mon,” Zach says, and she’s so close to bursting into tears and begging them to take her home that when he squeezes her hand tightly she nearly passes out with effort.

“You alright?” Shaun says, and she nods, smiling tentatively.  He steps back and beams. “Do a twirl for us, princess.”

 

She blushes; during a (very brief) particularly _pink_ phase at the age of about four, the only way they could get her to stop begging them to play princesses was by asking her to do a magic spin for them.  Needless to say they had never let her forget about it.

“Really, Pop?”  Shaun nods, dead serious, and Zach can’t help but laugh.

“Really.”  Zach says firmly, and she holds her arms out to the side and spins as gracefully as she can amongst the layers of tulle and lace.

“What do you think, Dad?” Shaun asks, and Zach pretends to frown and shrug dismissively.

“Yeah, she looks alright, Pop.”

 

Annie looks briefly horrified before their faces give it away, and she playfully slaps them on the arms.

“You look _beautiful_ , Annie.” Zach murmurs, leaning in to brush his lips gently against her cheek.  She blinks back tears and puts her arms through theirs.

“We good to go?”  Shaun sniffs and clears his throat.

“Sure are.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah.  Ready.”

 

* * *

 

 

 Duke fiddles with his buttonhole; constantly pushing the little flower back into the right position as it threatened to pull free.

“Quit touching it!” his Best Man mutters, and Duke drops his hands like they’ve been scolded.

“What time is it?”

“She’s only five minutes late; she’s not supposed to be on time.”

 

Duke nods; _right, yeah, she said_.

 

“I just want this bit to be over, man; I want the wine, the ladies and a dancefloor.” Tom says, and Duke stares at him in disbelief.  Tom manages to keep a straight face for a good five seconds before his face crumples with laughter. Duke shakes his head;

“You’re an idiot.”

 

At that moment the chords of the piano start, people shuffle to their feet and Duke’s heart nearly leaps from his chest as Tom gives him a nudge and mutters “Good luck, Duke _.”_

* * *

 

 

Shaun bounces Cody’s youngest daughter Atlanta on his knee, humming the first tune that popped into his head.  At a year old she’s plucky and absolutely the spitting image of Cody at this age.  Max (nearly seven), dances about madly, skidding the knees out of his best trousers as his mom and dad dance together like there’s nobody else there.

 

Annie and Duke stand talking to his family; from the smiles they give her and the way his mom hugs her tight, it’s all too obvious that they’ve really taken her into the fold.  Zach’s heart contracts painfully, and he looks away for a second.

 

When the song ends Teagan comes over, flushed, and sits down with a sigh.

“Oh my god, I’ve not danced like that in _so long_.”  Looking at Atlanta, who fidgets and seems to be considering screwing her face up she leans over to take her from Shaun.  “Uh-oh, looks like somebody’s tired.  I better get her upstairs, thank you so much for keeping an eye on her.”

Shaun waves her away. “We’re her grandparents; it’s part of the job.”

 

Cody scoops Max up and bids them goodnight before following Teagan out of the room.  Shaun stands, stretching his arms behind him and bending his knees.

“Jeez, you gonna do the high-jump or something?” Zach asks warily, and Shaun tuts.

“No, I was actually going to go up and dance.”

“Okay, well, enjoy yourself, I’ll be here.”

 

Pulling Zach to his feet before he gets a chance to protest, Shaun starts to pull him toward the dance floor.

“Shaun, c’mon, it’s not really my scene.”

Shaun turns to look at him with an expression that says, quite plainly, that he does not give two shits if this is his scene or not.

“It’s your daughter’s wedding; humour me here.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Y’know, if we make it as long as they do, I’m good with that.”

 

Duke and Annie are sitting on the chairs lining the dance floor; many of the guests have left (stumbling, some of them), and now only the stalwarts remain.  Shaun and Zach stand in the centre, swaying gently from side to side, Shaun whispering something in Zach’s ear that’s making him laugh and forget being self-conscious.

 

To her relief, they both got on like a house on fire with Duke’s family, who are just the sort of honest, hard-working, kind people her parents like.  Zach especially struck up a real rapport with Duke’s mom, and they spent a lot of time talking about their similar childhoods while Duke’s uncle and aunt turned out to be two of Shaun’s biggest fans.

 

“Been a great day, hasn’t it?”  Annie sighs, leaning her head against Duke’s shoulder.  He wraps his arm around her and looks down at their new wedding rings.

“Yeah, I’d say it’s right up there.”

 

She looks up at him.

“Up there with _what_?  This is meant to be the greatest day of our lives, isn’t it?”

Duke smiles down at her and drops a kiss to her wrinkled-up nose.

“Well, I mean, it comes a pretty close second to the day we met, actually.”

 

Annie sighs and closes her eyes for a second, a small smile playing across her mouth.

“You ready to go to bed, husband?”

Duke’s eyes light up, and he feels a strange flicker of anticipation.

“Absolutely, wife.”

 

* * *

 

 

Duke and Annie leave, to the applause of everybody left, and then people are getting their things together and leaving in dribs and drabs.

Zach wanders about, picking up left over streamers and napkins that have fallen on the floor and piling them on the table.

“Hey, leave that.  The staff are being paid overtime to do this.”

 

Zach turns round and watches Shaun, cravat hanging out of his top pocket and the first three buttons of his dress shirt undone.

“Mr Andrews, are you trying to seduce me?”

 

Shaun laughs and affects a swagger as he moves toward Zach, hands in pockets and one eyebrow raised.

“Yes, sir, I am.”

Zach smiles softly at him.

“Well c’mon.  Let’s get upstairs and I’ll let you carry on.”

 

* * *

 

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter in this work, and was written right when I was in the middle of a crazy wedding season (and just before I got married). 
> 
> Thank you to everybody who has stuck with this to the end.


End file.
